School Life With Angels
by Voxus Lumith
Summary: School was hard enough with the Principle being her father, a boy showing something like... interest in her, and her teacher being so... forward; but now two new exchange students want to shake things up at school! Life is going to get crazy in a lot of ways! What should she do? Gender Flipped characters in list, as well as Misato. I hope you enjoy!
1. Prologue

Sena Ikari looked on at the moon in the sky. It was always beautiful. The stain of red across it had been explained to her dozens of times, but still, it never made sense. What minerals could be there that make that possible? "It'd be cool to go up there," She said, to no one else. She was alone on top of the school's roof as far as she knew.

The door swung open in the darkness with a loud crash, and footsteps could be heard. "W-w-who's there?" She stuttered, terrified that she might get caught the night before school.

No one answered.

"H-hello? Is… is anyone there?"

"Hey," The voice came all at once, behind her, making her scream, "You need to be a little more aware. What do you think you're doing up here?"

Akihiko Langley Soryu looked down on her in her scared plight, his short red hair wavering in the calm breeze of night. He still wore his school uniform, long black pants, a white button up shirt, and a red tie that was left loosened. He gave her a cocky smile. "Seriously though. Why are you up here Idiot?" An affectionate name he called Sena, much to her displeasure, "School's been closed a while. The gates all locked up. Shouldn't you be getting home?"

"Maybe. Why are you here!? I should ask you the same thing!" She said, fighting back a little. She looked back to the moon. She took in a deep breath, a calm setting into her. The wind brushed by them both once more; as she turned back to the classmate of hers that she had known for almost a month now. "It's soothing… coming up here and looking at the moon. My house doesn't give me a good enough view… but this… this is perfect."

"Why's it so perfect?" He asked, moving a bit closer, his eyes narrowing, "Can't stand being home with your father?"

Sena merely turned, with her head down. "Can we… not talk about that please?"

He found an opening with that phrase. "Why do you say that? Too much on your mind? You know, him not showing you any attention except in school, hardly talking to you at home, and not even making you lunch for school? Has he ever told you he loves you besides when you were a little kid?"

"SHUT UP RIGHT NOW!" She yelled, the red scar across the moon seemed to undulate, running down to the bottom of it, and dripping down to the earth, piercing the clouds in the sky as it came down. "WHAT DO YOU KNOW!?"

Akihiko moved in quickly, pressing her against the wall beside the door, pinning her to it, with her wrist held down. "L-l-let go… please," She struggled against his strength and imposing visage.

Slowly, he moved in, laying a kiss on her lips. As soon as they did, and she felt the rush of his warmth against her, her eyes shot open. To her left, through the bloodied sky, she could see the moon dripping with red, and filling the land with it. She turned to look at Akihiko, only to see a red figure pinning her down now. All at once, it let out a scream, as did she.

* * *

She rose from the bed all at once, screaming into a pillow she had on top of her. Her eyes wide, taking in all the darkness around her, she felt alone in the house. "Must've… been a bad dream," She said, after finally calming down. Shaking still from the shock, she got up and made her way to the bathroom to relieve herself and drink some water. She checked herself in the mirror, noting a small blemish on her face, and washing her face a moment before going back down the hall to her room.

"I wonder what that dream was about…?" She whispered to herself, lazily moving down the hall to her cracked door. As she opened it, she saw something… peculiar to say the least. A young man sat on her bed, and a young woman on the chair at her desk; both hardly clothed.

 _Do I have robbers?! Who the hell are they?!_ She thought to herself, hands over her mouth. _I gotta tell dad._ The thought crossed her mind a moment, before escaping, without any resolution. _Dad won't help. He's never helped before. I guess… I'll have to deal with it._

She gathered her courage, and opened the door, ready for anything. The two figures looked to her, wide and brilliant smiles adorning the female's face.. "Hello Sena Ikari, we were just discussing you and you're home… It is rather nice," Said the woman, her red eyes seemingly radiating with a subtle light.

The man nearly nodded, before looking to her, "Yes. Quite nice." The words were hollow sounding, almost meaningless in nature it seemed, and gave off a feeling of emptiness even Sena had not seen from her father. They were both beautiful and pale, with flawless white skin, white hair that almost seemed to reflect a blue hue, both nearing the mid of their backs, and a slender frame to bring them all together. Sena blushed at them both as she instinctively made her way inside and shut the door.

"Why are… you two here? Who… are you?" She said, shaking with the words.

"We are here to purify the world," The woman said, standing up, and opening the window, "We are here to show you humans that you're lives need to be changed for the better, and we will accomplish them in any way we can. First, we will start here, with you and your school. Prepare yourself Sena Ikari; for your fate will change drastically depending on your decisions from here on out. I pray we meet again in similar and possibly more fortunate situations in the future." The two moved towards her, putting their arms on her shoulders, as they said in unison.

"Good luck Sena Ikari. You are the light that shines brightest in this dying world."

* * *

The alarm clock had been ringing for almost ten minutes. Sena's father had already left the early meetings the teachers had at the start of each week. Sena shot out of bed once more, and without missing a beat, began her normal routine. The words of the two strangers in her room, a thought not even close to her racing mind of the moment. Dressed, breakfast ate and lunch prepared, she set off for another week of school; the window of her room left absentmindedly open to the world outside.


	2. Chapter 1

Sena had made it to school on time; barely. Rushing the gate right before it closed as her teacher, Makito Katsuragi, cheered her on, Sena passed the gated entrance exhausted from the run. "Man, you really need to step it up Sena," He said, laughing slightly, "You'll hardly be able to do anything if those Angels show up."

Sena merely let out a sigh and looked up to her teacher as she tried to catch her breath, "Good morning… to you too… Mr. Katsuragi." She had trained hard the past month, but stamina was never in her favor, no matter how much she trained.

"Sena, come on, we're friends right? Makito's fine. It won't hurt anything." He said, a broad smile coming across his face.

 _Not this again. Why is he always flirting with me? Can't he flirt with someone else?_ She thought to herself as she straightened her skirt. "But you're my teacher… I… I can't do that."

"Sure you can. Let those rumors spread. Maybe they'll come true one day…"

A rush of blood flooded Sena's face as she hung her head low, walking next to her homeroom teacher. "You are so cute when you are embarrassed," He put his arm around her. "Come on. Let's head to class. I have a surprise for everyone."

"It isn't like the first day of school is it? When you didn't show up because you thought it started next week?"

"Shut it Sena. Don't make me embarrass you in class again."

And with that, they entered the school of selected students from across the globe; the most prestigious establishment for general education, artistic advancement, and ways of preventing a Third Impact due to Angels; The Institute for Gifted Children.

* * *

The cold seat sent a shot through her body, jolting her awake and ready. "Uhhhh…" She let out as the cold dissipated, "I hate that feeling." She said under her breath.

"You alright Sena? Something not setting right again?" A voice said from behind her.

Sena's skin crawled slightly. Sure enough, as she turned, the red headed demon of a friend was sitting on top of the desk behind her, starring down her shirt. "No… The… The seat is just cold," She said with a nervous smile. "How are you… Akihiko?"

"That's Mr. Langley to you teacher's pet," He said with some sting to his words, "I'm alright, thank you for asking. Teach says he has something for us today."

"That's what he said outside…" She covered her mouth after speaking.

"Of course he did. He met you outside to make sure you got here on time. Man. Having a teacher at your beck and call must be nice." He halted his assault for a moment, "Anyway, I'm thinking its transfer students. I heard they came from somewhere far off. One of the other Institutes or something."

"Like where you're from maybe?"

"Idiot. I'd know they would be coming if they were. They would have sent more than just I if they thought the students deserved it enough. Naturally, I was the only one who needed to leave that sinkhole of a prep school… I mean, why would they wa—," The rant continued as Akihiko began to turn redder with each passing word. Sena's mind began to drift off as the class continued to stir.

 _Transfer students huh? Hmmm… I wonder where they're from?_

The bell rang loudly once more, signifying classes should start now. Makito Katsuragi entered as the last bell rang; a large smile on his face. "Alright kids, get in your seats. I have a few announcements to make before we get started," A few students stirred, but eventually settled down once more. "First off, I would like to introduce two new students…"

Something nudged Sena's back. "Told ya," Akihiko whispered, "Thanks for ignoring me back there too… Idiot."

Sena merely giggled a little, and continued to listen.

"These two will be valuable to the school, as well as to our class. We are the first line of defense against the Angels as class 1-1, so… Let's bring them in and have them introduce themselves shall we?"

He moved over to the sliding door, and opened it. "Come on in you two. Introduce yourselves."

Two students came through the door. One was a boy of Akihiko's height, and looked melancholy to a fault. With the gasps and exclamations of the girls in the class, he did not even bat an eye. He stood next to his co-transfer student, a girl of Sena's height, with curves to fill out her uniform more than the others in the class. The boys exchanged eyes with each other, as high fives and thumbs up were given to one another. The two shared a lot in common as they stood before the class. The boy had hair down to his shoulders that framed his face well and showed to everyone that his face was in something akin to pristine condition. No blemishes were seen on the porcelain white canvas of his face, and neither on the girl's. The two had a glaringly strange set of eyes however; a deep red that seemed to pierce anyone who stared for too long. It was almost haunting to see. However, it was entrancing as well. Even a slight glance drew you in with promises unknown. The two bowed, as the girl went first with her introductions, her twin tails of white hair wiggling as she came back up from the bow.

"Hello everyone. I am Kaoru Nagisa, and this is Reiji Ayanami. It may sound strange, but due to unforeseen circumstances that had happened at our last Institute, we had to move schools. Please make this year fun and exciting and we will try to do the same!" She finished with another bow, as did he.

"Pleased to meet you all," Were his only words.

"Well if that is all you two are gonna say, go sit down and we'll get class started," Mr. Katsuragi said as he sent them off to their seats. "Now… where were we on Saturday? Anyone remember?"

The class fell silent once the question came up. Mr. Katsuragi looked around, and waited for someone to answer. Akihiko's hand shot up quickly, as usual, being the model student that he was. Since the first day, he made it clear that he was the best at his last Institute, and made it even more abundantly clear that he would rise in the ranks to be the best at this one. He left his last Institute due to them not challenging him enough, and came here hearing that it was the best program in the world. Every day was a display of his immense intellect, his prowess in self-defense, his stamina during physical ed., his knowledge of the EVA units; any subject, he was there to show you he was better than you.

"We left off right after Second Impact began sir," He piped up, a grin that knew he was correct.

And then class began. The words from the teacher sounded more akin to a retelling than anything, but, it was their history lesson nonetheless. They learned of what researchers found in Antarctica, the terrible implications of their experiments, and what was let loose upon the world. Suddenly, something broke the monotony of the lecture. A question; to Sena.

"Sena, mind answering the question?" Mr. Katsuragi's voice broke through her mind.

She shot out of her chair, standing straight up with a face redder than the scar across the moon. "W-w-what was the question again?" She said in reply, as the class laughed at her expense.

Another day in Mr. Katsuragi's class had begun, and Sena, as usual, was the butt of almost every joke.

* * *

As lunch came around, Sena let out a content sigh, and began unpacking what she had brought. Her meal was small, housing three compartments to her lunch; rice with some toppings, three pieces of grilled chicken, and a small mixture of salad and dressing in the last compartment. It still smelled as delicious as yesterday when it was fresh. Leftovers were the normal lunch for her.

It was something of a constant. Her father was never home when she was, and when he was on the weekends, he never truly interacted with her. He had groceries delivered to the house, he had clothes delivered and their clothing washed every day; the only real chore that Sena had to keep up with was cooking and cleaning, and usually that took just over an hour a day. Her life was… strange to say the least. The only real friends she had made so far was Akihiko, if she could even call him that. There were a few others in class that she could count on for advice, or just to talk to, like the class president and a few of the girls that weren't exactly the kindest, but they were something like friends. Leftovers, an absent father, and a lack of social interactions was the life of Sena Ikari.

"So what do you think of the exchange students Sena?" The same voice made its way into her ears as her skin shivered.

She made her way around in her seat, and saw that Akihiko was propping his feet on his desk, nibbling at a small loaf of bread sold at the cafeteria. She gave a small sigh, and began, "They seem alright to me. I wonder what happened at their last institute?"

Akihiko looked around at the class, It was filled with buzz about the students. Words could be heard about where they were from, what each one liked and disliked, and all sorts of other questions in between. The two in question sat by the desk of the teacher, talking with him during their break as they scanned the class themselves. "No one transfers out without a legitimate reason. If something happened, they might have caused it, or they may be excelling a bit too well," Akihiko said, feeling encroached on his territory of intellect. "They don't seem as if they were supposed to come here. Did Katsuragi tell you that it was a surprise?"

Sena merely nodded to agree.

"Yeah, suspicious. He's surprised us before, and they were genuine surprises. Like Unit 01 being delivered here once the school year started. No one expected them to bring that here. Everyone heard it was still in development... or maybe it still is and he just brought it here for tests or something."

 _Everyone thought that cause Dad told them to think that. He's bringing it here to test… I saw the papers…_ Sena thought to herself. She swiveled back around and went back to her lunch. "Well, we'll just have to wait and see. They don't seem bad to me."

"Of course they don't Sena. That'd be stupid if they did. Why would they? If they really are a part of the Institute, then there is no real reason for them to be 'bad'." Akihiko made a gesture with his hands, indicating his annoyance at Sena's thinking.

Sena turned for a moment, anger rising, but it was soon quelled once she saw Akihiko and heard his reply to her advance, "What's wrong Sena? Something the matter?" he said in reply in his normal sarcastic tone. Every time they bumped heads or had differing opinions, he always won this way.

"N-no… Just… Don't… I was just trying to."

"Of course you were Sena. Just trying to make conversation. Speak your mind. I'll retaliate if I want to. If you are right—which you never are—then I will withdraw from the argument. Simple as that," The grin expanded on his face as the sentence went on. He knew she would never do that. She was too timid and scared. He had a mouse caught, and was going to play with it until it got away or expired.

The class gasped all at once as everyone heard the same noise. Reiji stood quickly as his chair shot backwards with a grating noise, and he made his way slowly over to where Sena and Akihiko were talking. The gaze of the class as a collective watched as he made his way over. Sena broke from his gaze a moment, just enough to look to Mr. Katsuragi and Kaoru, one with a large smile on his face, and a wink in his eye, the other, her eyes closed somewhat in a sensual look. They were both transfixed on her.

 _What… what's going on? Why are they staring at me like that? What's he doing? Is he… coming over to talk to us?_

Everything seemed to grow quieter as he closed in to his destination. Their eyes now locked, Sena could see more of him. His hair was a silver color, and reflected more blue and white than anything, making him seem unearthly in all regards. His lips were thin and hardly a darker shade than his skin, but still was defined well against the solid white landscape they were placed on. A sharp nose rested in the middle of his face, the perfect shape for the lithe figure before her. She was entranced by the eyes that closed in, their red color the shade of blood, a dying rose, and then to a sunset sky nearly.

 _W-w-w-w-what am I doing!?_

She shook her head quickly and saw that what was before her was the same scene as before. Akihiko was sitting by her, watching her, and the two transfer students were still sitting by the teacher's desk.

"You zoned out there for a second. Something wrong? Having daydreams about the new students Sena?"

Hundreds of words came to mind once he spoke up, but she held her tongue. She didn't want to cause a scene, or be the center of attention.

"Thought so. Eat your lunch. Class is gonna start back up soon."

Sena nibbled on her food for the rest of the time in silence, pondering what that encounter could have been just a moment ago. Was it all really a dream of some kind? Or was there something the matter with her?

* * *

The day ended without any more mishaps with Akihiko or anyone else. The transfer students sat through class just like everyone else, and students flocked to them once class let out for club sign ups and just general chatting. Kaoru seemed more accepting and socially minded, while Reiji seemed to brush off the words and advances from the other guys without a word of reply himself. Sena gathered her things, and checked her schedule for the day. Today was the day she got her allowance for the week. A small amount of joy welled in her chest. Today had been especially rough, and buying something felt like it would help a little, even if it was just masking the real problem. A smile came across her face, and then it receded immediately.

 _I'll just head out. I don't want to stay too long. I'd love to come back before the gates close and get to see the sky at night… like in that dream._

She blushed slightly, before shaking it away and standing up. Upon doing so, Reiji did the same, as did Kaoru, but with some social grace. "Sorry. I have to get going. I still need to unpack and everything since we just moved in today," She said to the girls surrounding her, "I'll think about the clubs though! I'll let you guys know soon."

The two exited slowly, the remaining people in class watching as they went. Then, their eyes went to Sena, who also left after a small bow.

Outside the classroom, she saw the two waiting by the stairs, one with a cold stare, the other with a smile and a wave. "Sena! Could you help us out?"

Shy, but wanting to help somehow, Sena gingerly made her way over. "Is there… something you need?"

"Well an introduction would do first," She said happily. "I'm Kaoru Nagisa, as you may know, and this is Reiji Ayanami. You are Sena Ikari right?"

"If you… already knew why… did you want me to introduce myself?" She replied, hesitantly.

"Well just to be friendly really. That's fine though. Could you help us out a little? We're kind of lost since we were just dropped off here. We need to find our house that we'll be staying at." She said, looking to Reiji, who merely looked down the stairs, ready to leave.

"Sure… I… I can show you where it is… Do you have the address?"

Kaoru smiled happily as she gave Sena a thumb up, digging in her pocket to find the paper for their address.

An hour later after they left school, they had arrived at the address, after a few detours that they all three wished to undertake. A bookstore, a small snack stand, a sweet shop, a short stop by the sea side, and then to the tram station finally led them to the address; across from Sena's house. She hadn't really paid attention to the address at the time, but now she finally realized it. She would have a neighbor that actually went to the institute with her.

"So your house is right over there?" Kaoru said, looking over to it, another big grin on her face. She grabbed Sena's hands once she nodded to agree. "That's awesome! So you can come over whenever you want! This'll be great! We never had any of this at our Institute. I mean, we got food and clothes and stuff, but never any of our own money to use for around… the area."

Sena smiled back, "Yeah. I can come over almost whenever you want me to. My dad is never really around that much. He spends most of his time at… work."

"Then why don't you come over tonight? Reiji and I can cook some pretty tasty things. It'll be a nice change right? Think of it as a… a… welcoming party! Just us though," She said finding the words.

Sena giggled a little, evoking a different reaction from the two. Reiji's eyes grew a bit wider, as he watched her laugh and move. Kaoru merely smiled, and let her eyelids lower slightly.

"Sure. That sounds fun. When do you want me to come over?"

"We'll get everything started around six. You can come over at like six-thirty?"

"That gives me a few hours. Perfect. Thanks! I'll see you soon!" She said, waving to them as she stepped down the steps and across the streets to her home. The two reciprocated the goodbye, and headed inside their home, as Sena did hers.

Once the door closed, Sena ran up to her room, and began digging around in the closet. She needed to find clothes fast! This was the first time she'd be able to go over to a friend's house in forever! She had been to one birthday party she could remember, and that was when her mother was still around. Aside from that however, her father had not permitted her to since her mother's passing. Nothing made sense with him, but, she was past that now. She had made two friends, and they were new students to the school! She could hardly contain her excitement as she tossed clothes out of her closet onto her bed and began trying on everything to find something that might look good for the small party.

* * *

A knock came at the door only a few minutes before six. Reiji answered the door and looked down at the culprit of the knocking. Sena smiled as brightly as she could as she waited to be let in. She wore black leggings, khaki shorts over them, and a simple shirt that hung off of one shoulder. It was an outfit that her father's 'watchers' said would look good on her. She had never really liked the people that helped so much with the house, but this time, she was thankful. "H-hi Reiji. Can I… can I come in?" She said meekly. Even though they were considered friends, she hardly knew him. His talking could be condensed down to simple answers and basic communications, and he had not told Sena anything about himself. He was a subject that she knew nothing about. All she had was a name and a face. Reiji moved over and allowed her passage into the home, where Kaoru began right where they left off in the conversation they had halted at the same door not but a few hours ago.

Kaoru was a typical girl Sena thought. She talked about fashion, gossip she heard around the school already, boys, homework, teachers she didn't like, the best shops in town, deals she found… It was practically the stereotype she had seen so many of her classmates turn into. However, she knew when to stop, and talk to Sena about something she found interesting. It was as if she knew exactly when to halt the conversation so everyone got a turn, even catering to Reiji at times. She was a perfect girl, and a girl that was the definition of a stereotype, but she made it her own.

"Where did you find that outfit? It's adorable!" Kaoru said as she fiddled with the food on the stovetop in the kitchen. Whatever it was, Sena could not think of something to rival it in its scent. It was delicious in smell, and from what she could see from the entranceway, it looked delicious as well. Sena made her way to the living room, still chatting away as Kaoru finished cooking. "They should be from the local stores. My dad usually has outfits delivered whenever my clothes are 'out of fashion' to him," Giving air quotes when out of fashion came to her. Kaoru let out a giggle before placing the food down on the table.

The spread was something to behold. It appeared to be a handful of different dishes on different plates, all looking as if they had been prepared by a top chef; Meatballs that smell just like an Italian eatery with small toothpick sticking out of the top to allow for easy eating; a salad that smells of sweet vinaigrette and the freshest veggies and toppings; French bread slices lay across one another down a line on a long tray, letting their soft and flaky deliciousness be on display for the table; A small bowl of soup sits next to it, adding to the flavors in the air, the minestrone flavor wafting through the air; and finally, the main course; small pieces of lightly breaded chicken pieces, sit in rows and stacked atop one another, with four different homemade sauces waiting below. Kaoru smiles in triumph as she displays the selection below. "Well! Dig in! There's no reason to wait. This is a party after all! We're gonna watch some movies soon!"

And the party commenced. The trio began their feast of eats, as the movies began to roll. A romantic comedy began first, with the girls laughing and crying all at once; then an action movie to get their blood pumping, and finishing with a horror movie to get them nice and scared; the night was a fun time for all. Even Reiji showed a sign of emotion at the horror movie. With the night coming to an end, and the credits rolling for the horror movie, Kaoru flipped the lights on and let out a yawn. "Alright, I think it's time to end this party… We do have school tomorrow. It was fun though! I hope you can come over again Sena!" She said with a smile, looking to Reiji. "Don't you think it would be fun to have her over again?"

Reiji merely nodded and looked to Sena. "It would be fun." He said blankly, as Sena smiles at him awkwardly.

The night came to a close as goodbyes were exchanged and hands were waved to one another. As Sena crossed the street and made her way into her own home, Kaoru and Reiji did the same. What happened inside these homes differed greatly however.

* * *

The pleasant feeling inside the home of Kaoru and Reiji dropped to a stale melancholy. Reiji looked to Kaoru and parted his lips, only to be stifled. "I know. We should have told her… but… we can't. The Director said to watch over her and help, not to cause her to overreact now. She still has time to grow. Why speed up the process?"

"To let us go back home," Reiji said, some angry in his voice.

"That isn't even you're home. You were born here. We are hardly the same Reiji," She said as she moved into the kitchen and began putting things away. "There is much you can learn from her you know. She is fairly innocent and oblivious to the world around her. Her emotions are always very genuine, or at least it seems. Why don't you watch her a bit more and learn how to convey something besides anger? I understand that The Director has always been cross with you, and you never want to anger them, but still… you are a person… at least in this form."

Reiji places his hand on his chest, feeling the vibrant beat of a heart below his skin. "You have a heart just like all the billions and trillions of little ants on this Earth. Enjoy your time here and learn. Perhaps you can make them better, once the time comes."

Kaoru gave a small smile, and washed her hands, before heading to her room. "I'm taking a bath and then going to bed. I will see you in the morning Reiji. Please sleep. We do have school tomorrow, as I said before."

Reiji simply stood there, watching her as she walked down the hall to her room, and then to the bathroom. He did not feel tired, nor did he feel compelled to rest or go to his room. He simply stood there, and analyzed what the day had brought. His target was now something called a friend, and they were not closer to actualizing what they came here to do. He would need to speak with The Director. Surely Kaoru was not following protocol. He should go back and speak with him tonight. Perhaps. Yes…

Tonight.

He put his shoes on, and then saw himself out, locking the door behind him, as Kaoru had told him to do so many times before.

* * *

Sena walked into a house that had sound in the living room. At 9 p.m. this was a bad sign. Her father sat in the living room, lounging on the couch in what could only be seen as a comfortable position, however, due to how often Sena saw him, he seemed angry, furious even, in his docile state.

"Hello Sena," His voice carried through the house as the various colors bounced off the walls from the television, "Where have you been?"

 _Always right to the point. Why not how are you?_

"I… I went to a friend's house and… and…" Sena managed before drifting off.

"A friend? Who is it? One of the people in your class? You do know, that you cannot interact with them Sena. You remember the rules."

"I do. I… They are the new kids. The new ones in school. The transfer students of my class. They… they wanted to be shown around town… I was only trying to be nice." She said as she met his gaze.

"Sena. I want to protect you. I want to make sure you are safe. If you simply latch onto someone whom we haven't looked into yet, what if they turn out to be someone dangerous? What if something were to happen to you?"

"Dad I… I understand but… they don't seem that bad…"

"I will be the judge of that Sena. Go to your room. Your class has quite the day tomorrow," He said, turning his attention back to the television.

"What do you mean father?"

Silence stood between them, but was eventually driven out by a heavy sigh. "They are ready. You will no longer simply be in Dummy Unit Simulations during tests. We've finished over fifty full units, all ready for combat, including Unit 01; your unit. We'll begin tests on your class and the secondary class as well. The rest of the students will continue with the Dummy Unit Simulations until we have full units for them. We've even secured a training area. Be prepared Sena, it will be difficult." He said plainly.

Sena stared at him wide eyed. She had seen the plans for the units he spoke of, but she had never thought they would actually be made. Angels and other forces could always come and attack, but the last angel attack was over 20 years ago from what she had been told… why did they need these? And why was she one of the only ones able to pilot them? She stumbled back, and withdrew from the room, hurrying to her bedroom and laid down upon her bed until she passed out, her body exhausted from the strange roller-coaster of a day she had.

Her mind raced as she slept. Dreams of a knight rescuing her from some vicious monster which had captured her somehow. Sword clashed against teeth and claws, fire breath rolled over the knight, claws and teeth latching onto him. The conflict never resolved, but calmed down as another monster came in, as well as another knight. The second knight attacked the first, as the same happened with the monsters. Sena was caught in the middle, and was left as the fighting raged on.

* * *

She awoke some time as her alarm sounded. She rose slowly, and let out a yawn. The previous day was still a close memory, the movies and fun times she had over at Kaoru and Reiji's house, and the fear from her father's judgment once she came home, but she needed to move past it; today would be a hard day to fathom, now that the units were finished. The day began like many another, and she quickly dressed, ate breakfast and began to leave.

Outside, Kaoru stood, resting her back on the fence, waiting for something. She turned slowly as the door opened, and with her vibrant red eyes, smiled at Sena. "Good morning sleepy! Hope you had fun yesterday 'cause I know we did! Let's head to school! Reiji already left. Said he didn't want to wait. Can you believe him!?" She exclaimed with a slight pout. "Can't even wait on two beautiful girls to walk him to school. The nerve…"

Sena felt a warm feeling wash over her. She felt as if this person before her cared about her, even if they had only known each other a short while. She felt cared for, happy, and content with the voice that was speaking to her. She thought the word love immediately, but is that what it was? Sena didn't understand, but felt ready and anxious to find out what that emotion could be. She stepped out of her gloomy house into the bright morning sun, and set off to school with her new friend in tow; a bright smile on her face.


	3. Chapter 2

Tuesdays and Thursdays were always the easier days of the week for Sena. Homeroom still happened, as did their final class of the day, but in between, courses were thrown out and tests were run. Synchronization tests were run for the Children and their corresponding EVA unit programs, battle tests in simulations, plugsuit and EVA environment adaptability, and a myriad of other things. Mr. Katsuragi oversaw most of the tests for her class, and made her rounds to the testing areas for each unit. Sena, Akihiko, Reiji, and Kaoru made up the first unit, while the other students paired up and followed into their own units. Katsuragi watched the first unit much more closely than the rest. These Children were all needing to be watched closely.

"These tests, if you've been studying," She scanned the group as they all met her eyes. Akihiko looked prouder than usual, his beaming smile radiant in its glow, while Reiji appeared as stoic as ever. Sena looked skittish and scared, while Kaoru was looking a bit too excited for the tests. Mr. Katsuragi cleared his throat and then began again. "They are to see how well you will perform in your EVA unit. Whether it be a battle simulation with the data on the angels we've seen so far, or just simple stress tests, they are all very important. Just concentrate on the task at hand, and focus. You'll be able to do just fine. I have a lot of faith in you four. That's why I put you on the First Unit. Squad One. Whatever you wanna be called." He chuckled. "You all either have an EVA in production, or the production of your EVA is finished. With that, you'll be hitting the field first if anything should happen."

Sena's eyes grew wide as her compatriots all did their own reactions. _An EVA? Dad wasn't… Dad wasn't just…_ She shook her head and looked over at Kaoru. "Kaoru… does that mean… that…"

"We are going to be heroes? Yeah!" She said eyes filled with stars. She shook Sena at the shoulders in excitement as she hopped around her. Reiji merely looked on, cracking a small smile towards the two of them. Akihiko did the same, but with a look of disdain and contempt.

"Sena? A hero?" He let out a laugh, "What can she do?"

The sound echoed loudly in the testing area. For a good few seconds, the words echoed in the room, but to Sena, they struck deep. Akihiko had been a constant thorn in her side, pestering her and telling her how much better he was than her. She was tired of it. She wanted to like Akihiko. He had been one of the only people to stick with her even if her father tried to push him away. He used to be her only friend, if she could call him that at all.

She turned to him, but saw that Kaoru was already standing in front of her. "How about you back off?" She said, hands on her hips and her eyes narrow. "Since we have transferred in, you've done nothing but pick on her. You've called her names, demeaned her, and just… verbally abused her. I heard most of the stuff you were talking to her about before we were introduced to the class. You're the worst."

She ended her assault with a shaking head and closed eyes. "I just can't believe all those stories about you being, 'the best,' are true." She said with a sharp grin.

Akihiko had been waiting patiently for a chance to defend his verbal transgressions to Sena, but at this statement, he grit his teeth, and moved his hand back to strike at Kaoru.

A loud clap sounded through the air, echoing off the walls for a few moments. Silence followed, as the hand of Akihiko was held aloft by Reiji. Akihiko struggled to release himself from Reiji's grip, but he showed himself to be far stronger than the redheaded boy. "What the hell?! Let go of me!"

"You aren't going to hurt them."

Those were the only words Reiji said. Akihiko continued to squirm and writhe in Reiji's grip, but nothing came from his efforts. Mr. Katsuragi stood and watched. He was too far to interact with them, and didn't intend on interfering if he were close enough. These same emotions will be present while they fight, and under controlled situations, the results they could get from them with these emotional happenings could prove invaluable.

Still, it felt as if he should do something. Confrontation will only hurt them in the end, physically and emotionally. "That's enough," He said as he walked forward, hand waving side to side in front of him. "Let's save all of that anger for the battle tests huh? No reason for you guys to fight." He cleared his through, and looked to Akihiko first.

"Akihiko, it is true you've been treating Sena… well let's just be blunt. You've treated her like shit. Be a person. Don't be so confrontational and angry with her. Yes, her father is the principle here. That doesn't mean she doesn't have to study, or work for her grades. She does her best, just like you," He paused, allowing Akihiko to defend himself.

He stared at him wide eyed, "You too Mr. Katsuragi? You can't be serious!? I've done nothing wrong her—," He was cut off.

"No. You have. You've treated a classmate like some plaything. It isn't right. We'll need to get to the bottom of this after school today. I'll tell your club and all that. It probably won't take that long. I've seen this type of thing before. Now… are we clear?"

Akihiko nodded and stared at him, wide eyed and in shock.

Katsuragi turned to Sena after this. "Sena. You as well. Speak up. Tell him what he is doing to you. He was not being friendly in the least was he? Tell him so! Don't sit there and take it. You don't have to sit there and let him tell you all those things that you know aren't true. If they are, so what? Defend yourself. Don't let him treat you that way. You are far stronger than that. I know what you've been through, and have seen you come back from much more. Are we clear?"

Sena hung her head low and nodded, "Yes sir."

"Good. Now. You two," Pointing to Reiji and Kaoru, "Good job at defending your partners. They both needed their own form of defense, and in a fight, the same could prove useful. Thank you both. Let's start those tests shall we?" He said with a smile, as the modules came into view with their lights being turned on. They looked quite strange as usual. The entire module was a huge computer, with a large capsule which you would sit in. The entire clear display would become screens to help map synchronization, run various tests, and could be accessed by the occupant. It was a way for the occupant to look at their own tests in real time, helping them gauge how to increase or decrease certain things. Aside from that, the modules were also used for the battle simulations and all pilot simulations. They all appeared the same, but they did correspond to certain Units. The row of machines numbered from 00 to 08. Each of the modules ran the programs specific to each of the numbered units; except for 07. 07 was a very special module, still under development. Even Sena's father did not know about it or when it would be finished.

"Alright… Sena, Akihiko, you two know where to go," He said, shooing them off while looking at the clipboard he had picked up from his station there. "Reiji you are in… 00? And you are cleared to take the prototype?" Reiji moved past Katsuragi and nodded as he got into the module. "Alright. Don't hurt yourself. We've had almost ten people try to take that thing. And Kaoru… You are in…"

"03 or 04. Whichever one you want. I've run tests with both."

"Well aren't you versatile?" He said with a smile. "I can see that Sena's in good hands. If only she liked me as much as she liked you!" He rubbed his eye as if a tear was shed.

"Stop that. You know how I feel about that," Sena said, eyes narrow as she sat in her module. Akihiko merely grit his teeth as the exchange took place as Kaoru decided on Unit 04 for this test.

"Alright. See you guys in about an hour for your break. You all know what to do. Capsules closing," with that command, the modules closed their capsules, and began the programs in each.

* * *

Sena breathed deep and let out her breath as the systems began booting up. It all began as a low hum, but soon, it became nonexistent. "Welcome Sena," The computer said in a friendly and somehow motherly female voice, "Are you ready to begin today's training?"

"Yes ma'am," She said happily. The computer was calibrated so it would speak in the most desirable voice for the occupant. Consistently, Sena's had been a motherly woman's voice in every test. Since her mother died at such a young age, she could only assume that was why the voice was always as it was. Still, it was strange. It sounded as if it was trying to help as much as it could. Throughout tests, during in capsule breaks, even during battle simulations; it constantly provided encouragement, and it even remembered some things that Sena told it. It perhaps the only real friend she had for a time, until Kaoru and Reiji came along.

"Sena? Is something the matter?" The computer's voice came again, shaking her out of her stupor.

"N-no. Sorry. Just thinking about some things. I'll be ready in a moment," She said as she donned the receivers for the test onto her head and sat back to relax. "Alright. I am ready now."

The tests began slowly. First with simple synchronization with the Unit's systems. The system merely monitored Sena's vitals and her brainwaves to gauge how well she and Unit 01 would work together, and as always, Sena had a very high rate across the board. Emotional stability, blood pressure, heart rate, brain pattern compatibility, it all checked out perfectly for the Unit Sena would be piloting. "Good job Sena! Initial tests complete! You did very well this time around! Almost everything was 100%! Some reaching far past the maximum! What has gone on Sena? Did something interesting happen since the last time our tests were run?" The module said. Of course it needed to know what has happened to cause such a dramatic rise. Sena had always been leaps and bounds ahead of the others in synch tests, but this was unprecedented. Since the first days of testing, She had lead the entire school with an almost 80-85% constant synch rate, whereas the closest second place person, Akihiko, was at a mere 45-50% on good days.

"Well, I… I made a real friend. One that dad can't… well it seems he can't make them go away like the others. They don't avoid me like everyone else does." She replied.

The computer did not reply. It was recording the explanation for further analysis. Sena knew. Why else would they ask it? "Thank you Sena! Just checking on you. Now… do you want to continue with the tests? You have about forty-five more minutes until your break."

"Sure. What do you want to do next?"

* * *

"Ah so that's what Gendo was talking about," Makito said as he rifled through some paper readouts from the two new students tests. They were both doing quite well with their synch tests. Reiji being only about ten percent on average lower than Kaoru, which held himself at a steady 70-75%. "Wow. They are doing well. Much better than I expected. Hmmm…" He moved over to Akihiko's. Sure enough, he was in the 30% on his tests. "Dammit. What's so different? This is the lowest he has been in a while. At least get back up to the 40's man." He was talking mostly to himself, until another interjected.

"You know why Makito," the voice said. Heavy with smoke and the lungs to prove it, a short haired blonde man sat at the desk, cigarette in hand and eyes on the screen in front of him. The lab coat was an off white, and left unbuttoned. Wearing a simple button down shirt and slacks, he looked much the part of a scientist of sorts, but seemed much more laid back than what he should be. "He's unstable. He doesn't know how to 'study' or 'change' these tests all that much. He thinks a bit too much."

"My god Ritsuo. Don't do that. I was off thinking and talking to myself and you just blurt things out… trying to scare me or something." He waved his hand back and forth in front of his face. "Do you think you should be smoking in here? This is still a part of the school you know?"

"Maybe, but I have a habit to keep Makito," He took a long puff of the cigarette, "You know that."

"Sure I do. You've smoked out windows in the rain just to get your fix in college. Nothin's going to stop you from it." He let out a laugh before sitting in a rolling chair. "Seriously though, we have got to get Aki under control."

"You don't think we know that? The past month we've been calibrating Unit 02's systems to match him, and we get maybe a 5% increase, and then the next day, bam, back down to shitty numbers. So then we start all over, and somehow get back up to the 30's, and be stable there. These are what we deal with all the time even when you don't stay here." He let out a little laugh.

Katsuragi let out a sigh as he made his way over to the observation area which monitored the modules and the vitals of the occupants. Each seemed quite relaxed and composed, except for Akihiko. Gritted teeth, a scowl on his face, and constant squirming are all that showed on the screen. Makito watched the screen for a long while, before turning to Ritsuo. "Shut his tests down. I'm having a talk with him."

* * *

"Test halted. Capsule opening," Said Akihiko's module as it began to open. He heard the whirling of the other modules before he could see into the room. "What the hell's going on?" He said to himself as he looked around. Mr. Katsuragi stood in front of the pod, waiting for him to get his bearings. "Get out. We're going for a walk."

Still in a bit of shock, Akihiko slowly got out of his module, and began to follow Katsuragi out the far doors onto the terrace of the testing area. It was housed in an upper part of the school, where a terrace was used as a student lounge and eating area. There was an indoor area with tables, chairs, and vending machines, but outside, the view was tremendous and beautiful. The beach could be seen from their school, and the waves of the light red ocean looked stunning to say the least. The moon hung high in the air as well, its red scar hardly visible in the morning sky. "What's going on? Why'd I get pulled from the test!?"

"You should be able to see how your synch rate is going Aki. It's terrible. Worse than that. I put you with Sena because you two appeared… close. After hearing everything from Kaoru and for myself… I was wrong. Regardless… looking at your synch rate and hers…"

"What? I can see it too! Do you think I don't know? I'm the lowest out of this group! I've tried doing meditation, controlled breathing, all the _scheisse_ from my previous Institute, and all the _unterricht_ that was taught here! Nothing makes sense! I SHOULD BE SO MUCH BETTER THAN HER!"

"Calm down Akihiko. There's no reason for this," He said, holding his hands up to him.

"Don't tell me to calm down! Do you know how to increase the synch ratio? NO YOU DON'T! You hardly even know what you are supposed to be teaching us on these days! No one kno—,"

"Akihiko Langley Shikinami! You need to calm yourself. You are out of control! Take a step back and think about what you are saying and what you have been doing…"

Akihiko began to breathe heavily; panting almost. He clutched his stomach a moment, and went to his knees. "Why…?" Is all he could muster for the moment he was staring at the ground. Looking up to Mr. Katsuragi, he grits his teeth, "This isn't some… game. We're here to fight those… things that are trying to kill us. Why can't anyone else see that!?" A few tears make their way out. "Over in Germany… their Institute was harsh… unforgiving… and more just… brutal. You had to work hard to get to the top. In normal system synch tests… I had a solid 90% almost every day. Combat simulation, perfect or with minimal damages, brain scans and diagrams… flawless with the EVA's system."

He took a deep breathe. Katsuragi moved to the railing, looking out to the ocean. He rested his head on the high rail and let out a sigh. "We know Akihiko. We brought you here because you were so good. You're transferal letter was well put together, but we saw your scores, and wanted you here. The principle wanted you here. He requested you."

Akihiko's eyes widened as he sat with his head in his hands for a moment. "Then why…?" He said again… "Why is everyone so… lackadaisical about everything? Why does… why don't any of you care in the slightest?" He turned to look at Mr. Katsuragi facing him, holding a small silver cross on a chain that was around his neck up to the light. "We all do know. We act this way so you all can feel safe, and understand that while you all are our defensive measures, you are still kids. You have a huge burden to bear… us adults have to be cool and kind in these situations to insure you all are kept under control. If you all go crazy in your Units… we've lost our entire planet." He let the cross fall to his chest, and breathed a heavy sigh.

"Control. That's why we are so laid back. We are helping in the best way we can. The more control we display, and the more we appear easy going, the easier you all will feel. It makes sense right? That's why we are so lackadaisical about things. Good word choice. I would have just said, 'why are you all so fucking lazy?'" He gave a smile that was more of a commendation to Akihiko's resolve and ideals, as well as at his own joke.

Still torn from his previous Institute way of handling their Children and his current ones, he rose to his feet, and moved to the railing. "Now… you feeling a little better?" Makito said, looking back out at the red ocean below.

"A little. I guess. I don't know." He replied, resting his mouth on his arm that lay on the railing.

"Good answers. Well, first things first, I think you should apologize to Sena. And Kaoru and Reiji too."

"Excuse me!? About what?" He left a hard indentation in his arm where his teeth had been. They began to argue and discuss what he needed to apologize for, as well as what apologizing could do for him.

* * *

The hollow black of the inside of the module displayed little more than the heartbeat monitor in the lower left side of the middle portion. No sound could be heard inside the module, aside from the heartbeat of Reiji. It thumped away at a slow but constant pace. He sat there with his eyes on the meter, watching it spike and fall with each beat. Placing his hand onto the screen, and his other onto his chest, the beat and sound came at the same time. He lifted his hands upwards in the darkness, and clenched them tightly, releasing them soon after. He moved his hands across his shoulders, arms, legs, and down to his feet, feeling over every inch of himself almost. He ruffled his own hair, and finally, moved his fingers over his lips. "What is this?" He said to himself as put his arms across his chest and held himself. "What was that I felt?"

 _Anger? Joy? A simple adrenaline rush from… protecting… Sena… my…_

"Friend?"

The word came to him before it reached his mouth. The feelings that the word carried moved through the small module, and brightened it somewhat. Lights came on inside the module and a few screens popped up, displaying more information. Then, a voice came. A familiar voice to Reiji.

"Hello Reiji!" The computer said in a somewhat bubbly girlish voice. "Let's get to work! We don't have much time left! Only fifteen minutes until the first hour of testing is over! Let's go!"

Reiji looked at the screens as they turned to a dim greyish white with nearly black text. The voice was familiar because, right next to him, sat the person whose body the voice belonged to. Sena's voice came through loud and clear through Reiji's module as a small blush began to show on his face.

* * *

The modules opened as Akihiko and Mr. Katsuragi came back into the testing room. Each of the students got out and stretched somewhat. "Well that was exciting. Much different than the modules at our Institute; right Reiji?" Kaoru said with a large smile.

Reiji merely nodded, keeping his eyes trained on Akihiko and his teacher, aware that something felt off about the situation. Akihiko fidgeted in his position beside his teacher, unsure of how to handle the situation in his current manner.

"Is everything okay Mr. Katsuragi?" Sena said as she made her way forward, paying more attention to Akihiko than her teacher.

"Sena!? How are we ever going to fulfill those rumors if you don't start calling me by my first name? Come on. It's Makito!" He said as he gave a wink with his name. Flicking his hair to one side, he gave a small smile and continued. "Anyway, Aki here has a few words he'd like to say to each of you."

"Wha—here?! I thought you said I could talk to each of them at least!" He said, appearing flustered, his face reaching the same color as a ripe tomato. "That's just… It's not all the same..."

"Oh just say it. Be a man Aki!" Katsuragi pulled his long shirtsleeve up to his shoulder and flexed the bicep, revealing quite a bit of muscle for his lean frame.

He turned sharply back to the terrace entrance, and let his head hang low. Not a sound was heard in the testing area. A sharp breath and then he began, at first in whispers. It was short, but he repeated himself a few times.

"I'm sorry. I've been terrible to you all. I have just been… terrified of letting everyone… including you all down."

The others were shocked. Akihiko never apologized for anything. Seeing him open up like this showed a side of him that no one had ever seen at the Institute, and one that he was not comfortable revealing of course. Everyone realized, as did he, that he was not the perfect candidate for this. No one was; but, he was a suitable one, and one that could be very beneficial to the program and the Institute. He had trained endlessly for the chance to pilot his Unit, and he thought himself ready, but test after test showed that there was something he was lacking; some push that he needed to get his percentages up. This talk, Katsuragi hopped, would be the push he needed. He needed people to talk to; and friends to be around.

Sena, surprisingly, was the first to speak up, "You haven't let us down," She said much louder than she meant. The words bounced around the room as she covered her mouth and spoke quieter. "I forgive you Akihiko."

* * *

The words were honey to him. He couldn't explain it, but he felt… something for her. Since the first day he arrived, he thought she was beautiful. He couldn't tell her that though. He was the new student coming in from a school renowned for producing soldiers and fighter pilots that excelled in their fields. He would be the first EVA pilot to leave the school and actually pilot a Unit. He had to keep up the banner that he was a warrior build and trained for fighting. The smartest, strongest, and most deadly creature to ever come out of his homeland. He couldn't make friends with… a beautiful woman like that. It would ruin her. The act he put on of toying with her, calling her names, picking on her in ways.

 _I just like to see your emotions. I like… the smile, the frown, the red cheeks, your eyes in every shape…_

He blinked.

"Thank you," He said finally.

Sena began to smile a little more as the day went on and the tests continued. She still did very well in her tests, beating everyone else quite easily, but Akihiko seemed to have quite the boost afterwards. He did not change his demeanor and attitude much, but he did become a bit more understanding and friendly to his group and classmates. His tests on synchronization showed in the 80-85% range.

"Well that's more than acceptable," Ritsuo said in the viewing area with her readouts in hand. "What the hell did you do to him?"

"Pep talk. Told 'em about girls and how strange they are. How sometimes, you gotta be soft to get to their heart. You know… mushy stuff." Makito said with a flash of a smile.

"He doesn't look like he's changed much… but maybe it's a step in the right direction." He replied, as he continued to look through the results and readouts.

* * *

The night was a long one, but one that Gendo had to stay awake for. The scans were showing something moving in. Out in space, a creature of sorts was making its way to the earth. For what reason, his team hadn't a clue. They did know that it was here for something, either to take back what NERV had, destroy the people here, or to simply… investigate as the first few tried to. Regardless, it was on a course to land in the city. The trajectory pointed to the coastline not far from the school.

"It seems… it's time for their first real battle." He said to himself, as he gathered the papers up and organized them into his briefcase. He opened a small black book soon after, and began rifling through it. The pages were worn and faded, and the cover's title could barely be seen. In a soft red, the words "NOTES" could be seen, and below it, etched into the thick leather cover so it was legible, were the scrawled handwritten words, "ON ANGELS," in the same bold letters.


	4. Chapter 3

The deep red color of the numbers and letters on the screens would have felt piercing and intimidating to anyone. The light shown on a figure sitting down in a pod of sorts, basking in the light as they discussed amongst themselves, their volume ever increasing as the conversation continued.

"A success I think it," Said one with a distorted deep voice, neither male nor female, "We've successfully taken Kaoru and Reiji into Gendo's Institute. He assumed only his little 'Perfect Child' was coming." The monitor let out a guffaw as another interjected.

"A success?" It said in a high female distorted voice, "We needed that child of his… his Perfect Child you called it… to be able to show some form of emotions. Once we tried to speed up his growth…" A shudder came from the screen as the image crackled a little, "I can't bear to remember those images. He popped. We're lucky Kaoru was able to get him as far as she has."

"A pleasure number 04. It was either that, or I come alone and be kicked out of the Institute. I had little choice in the matter if we were going to succeed," Kaoru said as she stretched in the chair before the screens. A grunt of stifled anger came from 04. She could feel the mocking tone in her voice.

"Now you all, I have a question for you," Kaoru asked, letting her eyes slide open slowly. "What do you all think of Gendo's true child? Sena Ikari?"

"Her tests, from what we have seen, are more than adequate for her to pilot Unit 01. Aside from this, I do not know what else she would be capable of." Said 02, a soft male distorted voice ringing through the module.

"Ah I see. You don't think she can do much. I see… I see…" She gave a coy smile. "Then will you let me have my fun with her?'

"Do you intend to change her?" A few asked simultaneously.

"That is up to her. If she wishes to be changed, I will help in any way I can."

An uproar began immediately, each screen yelling obscenities or claiming Kaoru was not here to help them. Kaoru held up her hand for a moment to quiet them all, and they followed.

"However, she won't ask for such a thing. I will be her friend, and mold her into a child that can control Unit 01 to its fullest capabilities. If that is alright with the lot of you?" She replies, once calming the crowd of monitors.

A few mumbles from the group, and a few still felt untrusting of the Angel that sat before them, however, they reached a decision soon. "As long as it does not interfere with our goal, you may do with Gendo's Child as you wish."

Kaoru gave a genuine smile, and giggled with excitement. "I can't wait. Thank you all. Let us end this meeting. I believe my hour of training in the module is nearly up. Do you have any tasks for me to accomplish? Or do I simply, follow the orders that you all gave me before I left?"

"Follow your orders towards a Third Impact, and continue to nurture and help Reiji become… more responsive," Said 01, in a booming distorted voice.

"As you wish. I will do all I can to make Third Impact happen. I have an idea of something, but I will fill you all in once I see the fruits of my labor," Kaoru said, bowing slowly, "May we all be lead to the heavens."

The group repeated this and each monitor began to stutter and close to a solid black screen. The filled with darkness soon after 03, the final screen, shut off, with a closing remark. "We have quite a lot of trust in you Kaoru. Do not do wrong by us."

"How could I?" Kaoru chuckled in the darkness. "I am here for my own agenda as well. Following you…" She gave a heavy sigh, "It's just much easier this way isn't it? I will bring you all to heaven in my own way. But not after I have had my fun."

Time seemed to stop in the module on that day. Kaoru thought for quite some time on her plans for the world, for Seele's ideals and plans, and thought on how Reiji could be used to help further things along as well. Many things were going through her mind that day, and Sena was a constant as well. Not of plans to deceive, to hurt, or to lead astray, but to protect, to nurture, and to grow. The road would be a long one, but, she was prepared.

* * *

"You would think we would know a lot about Angels since Second Impact; but, you would be incorrect," Mr. Katsuragi said as he tapped the chalkboard with his finger. "While we have been researching them since then, there is still much we don't know, such as their purpose for descending upon us, or how they even function. It's true many of the advances in technology and combat we have gained have come from them, and many things are still quite under wraps or still in experimental phases. Cancer research has made it through leaps and bounds, and the development of true laser and plasma weaponry is an actuality now. However," He said, digging his chalk into the board a moment. "That's not gonna matter much if we are wiped out by the next attack that comes. We've taken down… three Angels so far. The last one was a doozy for the military, since it was so large and just wouldn't…" He let out a sigh, "Needless to say it was a bitch to take down. I'll say it that way. That's cool to say right?" He brushed his hair backwards, letting it fall back into place, and continued on with the history of the research of angels.

The bell rang as Mr. Katsuragi was midway through the components of the last angel that was downed, since the information had recently become declassified. Second period, English, would soon begin. Sena began to get up from her chair when Akihiko tapped her shoulder. She shuddered a moment when she felt it, but looked back with some confidence. "Y-yes… Akihiko?" She managed with a smile that was still instilled with fear from before.

"Hey… Um…" he said, trying to pick his words. "I… said a lot yesterday… and… I felt really weak telling… all of you that stuff. Just letting you know… I'm not going to let this school down. Not our teacher, not the principle, not my home country…" He held his breath a little, and continued. "I'm gonna do my best. Just you watch. Okay? And if I start treating you bad again… don't take it the wrong way. Okay? I'm just frustrated with how things are going. I'm not… meaning to hurt you."

"I would never want that." He said under his breath, without knowing.

"Is…everything okay Akihiko?" Sena said, her smile becoming fuller now, seeing this side of him. His face became a light red, and kept darkening as time went on.

" _Sei ruhig!_ O-o-o-of course everything's fine! Geez. Shut up! Just… get to class!" He said with a huff as he got up and stormed off. Sena merely sat there a moment, dumbfounded and perplexed.

"Did I… say something wrong?"

* * *

English came and went as they read a classic novel during class. The novel, _Rebecca_ , had given the class chills the days before as they read it on their own. The scares and suspense began to build and continue until the bell rang, causing a few yells of fright from the class, followed by laughter.

"Do keep it down class. Finish up the chapter and the next and give me a small report on what you may think is going to happen. At least two hundred words please. Have a good day everyone, I'll see you tomorrow." Said Mrs. Amai as she waved to the class as they left.

"Man that book is pretty creepy don't you think?" Kaoru said as she moved over to Sena's desk. "That maid sure is scary. It's like… she just knows what's going on right? The master of the manor… he sounds so dreamy though! I'd do what the girl did too; I'd try to stick it out wouldn't you?" With each question Kaoru moved closer and closer, nearly sitting in Sena's lap.

Sena gave a small chuckle as she waved her hand a little in front of her to put a little distance between the two. "It is… pretty creepy. I dunno if I would stay. That house feels like it's just… looming over them. Watching their every move. I dunno if I could stand that."

"Ehhh?! Really? You wouldn't wanna shack up with that guy? He sounds soooo dreamy though!"

"Maybe, but… he seems like he is keeping something from her…. Something dark… He's kinda distant." She said as she gathered her things and stood up.

"Maybe there are things she doesn't need to know," Kaoru said with a smile as she turned to move away to let Sena out of her seat. "Or maybe he wants to protect her," She said more quietly, so Sena wouldn't hear.

"Huh? What was that Kaoru? Are you mumbling to yourself?"

"No no! Come on! Let's go meet Reiji and Asshole outside. I think we have P.E. next… co-ed this time." She said with some gloom in her tone, with which Sena replied with a gentle giggle. The duo moved down the stairs and into the gym to change, and saw the boys already doing stretches. Reiji and Akihiko were paired up as partners.

"Let's hurry. I bet they aren't enjoying each others company." Kaoru said as she grabbed Sena's hand and led her into the women's locker room.

* * *

"So how do you and Kaoru know each other?" Akihiko said as he grabbed Reiji's hands and pulled him to stretch his back, "I mean, you look similar; you guys aren't related right?"

"Not that I know of." Reiji said blankly, his nose nearly touching the ground. The two had been silent for the most part during their stretching, but once Akihiko saw the two girls go into the changing room, the silence broke.

"Well… sorry. I was just wondering… I'll shut up about her."

Silence was all that accompanied Akihiko's statement. Reiji had little to say, and even less to say to Akihiko. They both knew that. Still, Akihiko was trying to be on better terms, so he pressed on.

"S-so… what do you… do for fun Reiji?" He asked with somewhat of a forced smile.

Reiji merely looked to Akihiko with a blank stare for a moment as they stood in the gym, now done with their stretches. Akihiko began to repeat himself, moving a bit closer, but Reiji put up a hand. "I heard you the first time. I simply have nothing I do for fun." He responded as blankly as ever.

"Then why didn't you say somethin'? I'm just trying to get to know you man. No reason to be… such an ass." Akihiko said, crossing his arms, putting up his guard once more. "I mean, it's not like I like being around you guys all the time. I have to be. Might as well get to know you a little. But I guess that's too hard for you all. You, that little devil, and the Teacher's Pet too."

It happened in a matter of seconds, but the winner was not the one who struck first. A swift strike to the left side of Akihiko's jaw, and staggered him back a moment. The gym grew quiet, as Akihiko gathered himself, and rushed Reiji. First a straight punch to the stomach, followed by a harsh elbow to the upper jaw, finished with a raised knee to the stomach. Reiji gripped his gut, and then lunged at Akihiko, taking him to the ground, and began to pummel him as Akihiko left his arms up to guard. Soon, the other students began pulling the two apart, and called for the teacher.

As Sena and Kaoru left the changing room, the two were being escorted out of the gym, one with a bloody mouth and nose, and the other with bruises on his face, a bloody nose, and broken skin on his hands.

"I figured that would happen sooner or later," Kaoru said, shaking her head, "While Reiji is quiet and calm, some things do set him off. Like talking about one of us, or insulting himself or us."

Sena looked to her puzzled for a moment, but Kaoru kept explaining. "You may not have noticed, but Reiji really enjoyed the time we spent together on our day together. He doesn't want you to think ill of him, and he doesn't want people thinking anything strange about you. So he defends you. I guess… you could call him a white knight of sorts."

As the two were walked out, they both locked eyes with the two girls, seemingly pleading for some kind of sanctuary from their eventual punishment. "Turn away Sena, they did this and are going to get their just rewards for it."

Sena gave them a halfhearted smile, and looked away to the others stretching, walking off with Kaoru to do the same.

* * *

"Well shit. Really?" Mr. Katsuragi said to his phone as he took his legs down off the table. "Yeah, give me a second and I'll be right there."

He clicked the screen to stop the call and stretched as he stood. "Can't stop for a minute. Man…"

"What happened? Did two of your kids get caught in the equipment room before P.E.?" Ritsuo snickered as she sipped her coffee and ate her candy bar.

"My two problem kids fought. The one who talks too much, and the one who doesn't talk at all."

"Shit, Reiji and Akihiko? They fought? Who won?"

"Tough to say from a phone call. I'm gotta go get them from Gendo's office. God this is gonna suck." He grabbed his can of coffee and began his walk out of the break room.

"Good luck man. See ya… well see ya after lunch." Risuo waved to him with a somewhat worried look and a half smile. Makito waved as well from the other side of the windowed door, hung his head low, and began making his way to the principal's office.

Upon entering the office, Reiji and Akihiko were on separate sides of the room, facing one another, and Gendo, the principal sat at his desk, overlooking the town below that his school overlooked. He kept his back facing them, and once the door shut, he spoke.

"Explain Katsuragi. You should have these boys under control at all times."

The voice cut through the thick air like a knife, slashing at the two in question and pointing its edge towards their teacher. "I was eating lunch. They had P.E. I thought I had time to eat before their break and homeroom. During tests yesterday, they had a spat, but I gave one of them, Akihiko, a talk. I didn't expect Reiji to do either of his actions that day or today. I am sorry sir."

"What happened yesterday?" He said after swiveling around in his chair. Each time Mr. Katsuragi saw him in this setting, he always seemed mysterious. As if he were hiding something to even the teachers under him, and moreso with his Children of the school. Aside from that, he seemed calm in nearly any situation as well, as if no matter the event, he would be a pillar of strength and resolve that others could count on.

Facing him however, was a different matter entirely. An unmoving rock that hardly listened to others or their excuses and accusations, once an idea of the situation began to sit, it would stay until facts came. Katsuragi knew what he said would matter little, but it could lessen the blow from the rock of a person before them.

"Akihiko struck out, but was halted by Reiji. Soon after, I had a talk with him, and he promised to reform himself in the best ways. I believe Reiji might have jumped to conclusions and his pride was damaged, rather than his body, which is what provoked the attack. Aki merely defended himself. As you know, we are training child soldiers practically, due to how the EVA Units work, so it is only natural for the two to fight or go on the offensive with one another. Don't you agree?" He said with assuredness, masking his worry well.

Silence fell in the office. Reiji stared blankly through Akihiko, thinking of his nothing more than the people he would rather be around, while Akihiko thought more of what he did wrong. Was it a reaction? What set him off? Something he said? He needed to work on it. This would be one of his partners, and the girls would be the other two. He needed their trust and friendship more than anything to make their whole attendance and training at the Institute worth anything. Before Mr. Katsuragi let him go back to see the others and continue the testing the day before, he told him something that would stick in his mind forever.

"Bonds with others will make or break you here." Mr. Katsuragi said, popping the top of the canned coffee he got from the vending machine outside. "Many, if not all of you at this Institute have lost something very dear to you. A loved one, a pet, even just your favorite toy when you were smaller; it affected you in such a way that deemed you special. The EVA's use that bond to link with you, wanting to protect you, but they use the bonds you have with others to gauge what all they need to protect. In a sense, the more people you hold close to yourself, the stronger your synch rate with the EVA, and therefore the more you can do while piloting it. If you have nothing to protect, the EVA will only protect itself, and rely on itself only. You will not pilot it, you will hide inside it."

Then the words came. The words that he needed to hear to set his mind in the right direction.

"They care about you. You should care about them too."

"Akihiko?" Mr. Katsuragi's voice came to his ears. Akihiko shook his head, coming out of his daze. "Did you hear him? You are both free to go. Let's head out. I'll walk you both back. P.E. is almost over. You good with changing and heading back to homeroom for lunch? I would take you all the way back, but the principal wants to talk to me a bit more."

"Yeah. That's fine with me." He said to his teacher; Reiji merely nodded in response. They exited the office, and made their way back to the changing rooms.

Inside, it was just the two of them. The boys had all gone back to their classrooms. Silence filled the space, as did a heavy air that Akihiko felt suffocated by. He needed to say something to Reiji, but… he couldn't bear to say it.

"Listen," He started, turning to see the boy grabbing his shirt from the locker. "I'm… sorry for what I said. I'm still trying to figure out how to… talk to you all in a different way and get to know you. We all need to get along or else… well we aren't going to make it far in this school."

Reiji looked back at Akihiko, eyes as red as blood, and neared him slowly. Akihiko tensed up for a moment, and opened his mouth. "You don't have to get close to speak. I can hear you from over the—."

"Eat with us." He said, before moving back to his locker and dressing. Akihiko looked at him puzzled, but understood. It was a step in the right direction; might as well give it a shot.

* * *

"You see, the combination of all of them has to be just right, or else the consistency will be too thin or too pasty, and the taste of each won't come through in the way we wish. That's why I use a packet of each instead of trying to measure them into small cups." Kaoru said, as the girls gathered around her and Sena for lunch. She had been speaking on how to make her special 'Kamikaze' sauce; a mixture of ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, barbeque sauce, and relish. The girls were transfixed more with how she made it sound she were some expert chef, rather than the actual taste of the sauce.

"Kaoru, you've let me try that before… it's…. well…" Sena said, trying to play it down as something she just doesn't like, rather than something that tasted like dead fish and roadkill, "The taste is a bit too unique for me. I don't think I can handle more than what I had at your house."

"Oh come on, you know you want more!" She said in reply as the girls giggled.

With a slam of the sliding door, Akihiko and Reiji returned, patched up, changed, and holding their lunchboxes. "It's the fighters!" whispered one of the girls in the group in exclamation. Mumbles and whispers began around the classroom as they moved over to the group with Sena and Kaoru. Akihiko was the first to speak. "Mind if we eat with you guys?"

The other girls glared for a moment, until Sena spoke up, "Sure. Pull up a chair," She said with a small smile.

 _So trusting and nice…_ Reiji thought, as his face began to feel hot. The two sat down across from one another, and opened their lunches as well and began to eat. The room was quiet for a while after they entered, but began to go back to how it was before, groups talking amongst themselves, as did Sena's group, the scared nature and fear of the brutish boys joining their group now gone, thanks to the girl around it all. Reiji and Akihiko even had a smile on their faces as they all conversed together. Reiji still hardly spoke, and Akihiko was still offensive and aggressive, but the lot of them still smiled all the same. Kaoru did the same, but watched them all in her own way.

 _My my Sena. The spell you cast over people with the little confidence you hold is astounding. You are something special aren't you?_ She thought to herself as she watched the girl she had befriended get jokingly picked on for retorting something about Akihiko's vast amount of sausage knowledge, and Reiji's lack of much more than peppered rice for lunch. The all looked like fast friends together, and she was a part of it.

 _Perhaps we can all get along after all. Perhaps this place is worth saving more than I remember from before._

* * *

"So the readings are showing it's… forming?" Mr. Katsuragi said as Ritsuo came into the room.

"Kinda. It's hard to tell. The A.T. field it is generating is already penetrating the ozone layer and moving around some clouds," He said, whipping out a graph from his pocket. The image looked much like a tornado or hurricane formation, but the readings for the temperature, pressure, and weather conditions did not indicate anything of the sort. "We have a few images from our telescope as well. It's… it's something for sure. An Angel maybe… just like you said sir."

He slapped another piece of paper down on the desk. The image was grainy, but showed something that looked closer to some kind of animal if anything. No discernable head could be seen, but directly in the middle it housed a mouth of sorts with rows of teeth, open in each picture. Tentacles of some kind radiated from the central area behind the mouth from what they could see. Small orbs could be seen at the end of some of the stalks, and at the ends of others were feet, hands, or even small bulbs of some kind. It was terrifying to behold. Like something out of a fantasy movie or novel.

"Get the Children ready. Once it touches down, we'll be ready to send it back." Gendo said as he stood up, and moved to the side of the room. "You'll need to send them down. Make sure they have their badges ready and prepare their suits. I will meet you all at Central when the time comes. I will be down there for the next few days. I have much to research."

With that, he held his hand to a small picture, and passed through it, touching a small button in the wall. The bare wall before them moved backwards, and slid to the side, revealing an elevator. Gendo entered, and the 'door' closed once more. The principal of the school, and their leader, left them to their orders.

"Seems it is time to show the government that all their money is well worth it. Let's hope those kids are ready." Mr. Katsuragi said, rubbing his eyes with his index finger and thumb.

"You worry too much Makito," Ristuo said adjusting his glasses and whipping out a cigarette from his pocket. "We got four functioning EVAs now. We should be good. Especially if Sena and the others work together. We'll be fine." He said with a smile, tossing his friend a cigarette. Mr. Katsuragi tossed it back, along with a smile, and began to make his way back to the classroom to tell the four Children of the first group that they might be facing something indescribable, and that they may be the only hope for the human race.


	5. Chapter 4

The order came without much warning, but Sena was ready. Something hadn't felt right the past few days, and she was expecting something big to happen. _It has to be. It's… an angel._

Sure enough, the call came the day after Mr. Katsuragi told them to prepare for something big and gave them their badges for NERV.

"What's this supposed to be?" Akihiko said, looking it over and resting his eyes on the unfamiliar logo.

"It'll get you into the headquarters where we keep the real EVAs. We brought them out to show you guys the last week, but they are down there being maintained and stuff until we… need them." He replied, brushing his hair back from his eyes. "Look, just be ready alright? If I call, or Dr. Akagi calls, or… heck if the principle calls you, get there, quick. I'll give you a map of a ton of entrances and how to get into the headquarters. Don't worry. It'll be a fun little adventure! Promise!" He said, giving them a wink.

"Hey, it's Makito. It's time. Head to… let's see… the nearest one by you is in an alley by the house. Head outside, go down it, and once you see a poster talking about free takoyaki, scan your badge over it. You'll know what to do from there," Is what he said on the phone. Sena was confused, sleepy, and hesitant, but she was going to do her best. Besides, all her friends would be there as well. She had to hurry.

It took her almost twenty minutes of getting ready, packing, and dressing, but soon, she was out the door. She didn't see Kaoru or Reiji anywhere in sight, so took to the alley as soon as she could. _I hope they made it there alright. I was probably the last one he called…_ She thought to herself before heading to the alleyway. She remembered the alley many times before. Countless summers were spent here due to it being so narrow and allowing hardly any heat to come through it made it a perfect spot to sit and eat ice cream, alone or otherwise. She made her way down it and once she reached halfway, there the poster sat plastered on the wall.

"Delicious, all you can eat Takoyaki of all kinds," Sena read aloud as she squinted in the darkness of the alley, "Traditional octopus, squid, vegetarian, dog…" _Wait what?_ She thought before continuing on. "Taro, cherry, pepper, durian, cat, anchovies, shrimp, cosmic, very berry, and… the best flavor of all…" Sena gave a sigh. "Angel wings."

 _Who came up with th—never mind. I shouldn't think too deep into it._ She shook her head, and lifted the badge up to the poster. Sure enough, a small beep could be heard as the wall next to it began to slowly sink into the ground. Inside, a few lights could be seen displaying where the platform was. Slightly scared, Sena stepped through and the door behind her slid upwards quickly to hide her escape from the alley. The light flickered on the rest of the platform, the glass around it reflecting the light from the inside somewhat. As the lift started to descend, Sena felt something hit her stomach. An unease sat there as the lift shook slightly as it went down. The place was well ventilated, and Sena had eaten something before coming… but what was it? She was somewhat scared, but with everything going on in the past few days, she was getting used to the feeling. Was all this stress making her sick?

She tried to ignore it as the lift came to a stop. A large garage like door opened to her left, and out from it, headlights and figures stood. The lights blinded her as she shielded herself. "H-hello? I'm Sena Ikari?"

"We know who you are. Come with us," The middle silhouette said, holding out his hand.

"Who… who are you?" Sena replied, still trying to discern who these people could be.

"That doesn't matter. You must trust us. Come. Your father is waiting." It replied, beginning to step forward.

As the figure came into view, Sena's emotions went through a myriad of changes. Fear went to anger, as she suspected Mr. Katsuragi had sent her here by herself for some reason; then from anger to happiness, once she saw the headlights of whatever vehicle was in front of her dim and turn off, revealing the figures to be her friends, with Mr. Katsuragi coming towards her with his hand out to her; and finally that happiness turned back into anger, once she composed herself as Mr. Katsuragi touched her hand.

"You guys! Why? You know I don't know what's going on! Why'd you have to scare me?" Sena said, once she began to walk to the vehicle.

"It was just a joke. Don't get angry. You'd have done the same if it was to one of us… right?" Akihiko said, giving a little thumb up to Reiji for keeping the lights on. With a blank expression, Reiji returned the gesture.

"Well maybe but… but… still…" She stammered, before getting into the passenger seat of the vehicle. Mr. Katsuragi talked on and on about where they were going, but the information didn't stick. Something felt wrong. As they glide through the tunnels of this facility, Sena could only really think on one thing.

 _Where's Kaoru?_

* * *

"Are you certain this is what you want to do? Do you have any idea how Adam, or Lilith for that matter, ended up? The same could happen to you. Or you could always do what I am doing… watching them like this." Kaoru said as she sat in her room. She had started getting dressed after sending Reiji off to get into NERV before her. She had a feeling that this disturbance that they were preparing for would contact her sooner or later.

In a voice akin to a liquid evaporating quickly, and water rushing through a stream, the voice replied. "Be the same as you? You want me to condense my form into a small Lilin body? I understand that you are here to observe, and we were all granted permission by The One that we could do the same if we wished, but it has been so long since many of us have been able to stretch our… wings… is how you say it?"

Kaoru rose up off her bed, slipping her shorts fully on now. "You could be a male or female. Whatever you wish. It isn't all that bad. They have things that you couldn't dream of. The One made us differently, so we experience things differently. The last time you 'stretched those wings,' the Lilin here thought you were some kind of thunder god, and Lailah caused a lot of them to die by each other's hands. You know how she felt about that. Luckily The One stopped you all before you got out of hand. I'll ask you one more time. You sure you want to do this again?"

"Tabris I have already made up my mind, you cannot stop me now. They will know that we are here to take back Adam and Lilith, and they will comply. Besides, that time, we were just showing off. They didn't know what to do. I enjoyed the praise though."

Kaoru let out a sigh, before grabbing a t-shirt, and walking into the bathroom to put it on and get ready. "Fine fine. Have it your way. Tell you what. If you want, if things start turning sour, I'll save you, and you can come live with us. How does that sound?"

"It won't happen, since all I am going to do is look for Lilith. I think Adam is still where these Lilin put him." The voice replied, mockingly.

"Well, the only reason why I was up when you called was because the Lilin want to keep her. They have countermeasures for you once you fully descend."

A laugh came through the house. The sound of low rolling thunder echoed throughout as it grew in intensity and then subsided. "Sure they do. Thank you Tabris. I will keep that in mind. I bid you farewell. I hope to see you again soon."

And with that, the presence was gone. Kaoru was alone in her house once more. She looked at herself in the mirror, rustling her hair around as she held her toothbrush in her mouth. She grabbed her locks and held them up as if it were tied back. She did it a different way, with a low tie this time. She let out a sigh before letting her hair hang back down. "I think it's time to style this mop of hair… After this, Sena and I will go and get our hair done! That'll be fun!"

She said, giddy with anticipation, for what was about to happen and the eventual hair day with Sena.

* * *

The decent deeper into the earth showed that there was much that the group didn't know. Sena, Akihiko, and Reiji all looked at the strange facility not far off with its own streams, land, even a small lakeside area, as some kind of artificial sun shown down. It was insane. What was this place that they were going to?

"Well there you are. Headquarters. NERV to be exact," Mr. Katsuragi said, placing a finger up to his mouth, "It's top secret, so don't tell anyone understood?" he zipped his mouth shut soon after and gave them all a smile. "Once we hit the base of this, we'll zip along to the actual entrance to HQ. Buckle up. This lift goes fast once we are on a one way path."

Sure enough, once the lift leveled off, the lift sped up to an insane speed, before slowing down once more to a stop before an opening much like the one they entered. "Here we are. Let's drive this in." He said, before stepping on the pedal as hard as possible.

Mr. Katsuragi began to explain how they came to find this place, and build such a large facility. A digging event lead to some people and equipment falling through to an expansive… underworld of sorts. Soon, governments got involved, and money exchanged hands. Luckily, the government won out and got to use the largest underground portion for their own ends, naming the world above the Geofront, which was all made of land, metal, shielding, and moving parts that allowed NERV below to operate in secrecy. Many things were managed and operated by them below ground, but quite a bit went on above as well. That's all that Sena could gather though before her mind was swept away by the flora of the world underground. Everything looked much larger, and more vibrant to say the least. Sena couldn't believe her eyes, and then it was gone in one swift motion. Now inside a facility, the group exited their vehicle, and began to make their way to the command room.

"You'll get used to the ride here. Promise. Usually there are people waiting with vehicles for you but… well… we're a little short on people right now." Mr. Katsuragi said, heading into another elevator.

Akihiko raised an eyebrow. "Short on people? Did you all let some go?"

"No… just… they're doing research or monitoring things. I came to help while I was in the middle of something as well." He replied hesitantly.

As the elevator reached its destination and the doors opened, inside, a marvel of technology stood before them. Screens lined the walls far ahead as rows upon rows of desks with monitors littered the rising platforms up to a main command station. Three operatives sat, doing their duties as they entered. Above them, two men stood, awaiting results on tests that the lower few were doing. There, Sena saw her father, and a man she remembered long ago.

"It's time Children," Her father said as he looked down to them, "All of your years of training have led to this moment. Those EVAs given to use will be used by you all to protect this world and ensure everyone's safety. You'll all be heroes and lifted up and saviors of humanity. Mr. Katsuragi!"

He swiftly stood at attention, hands at his sides and eyes fixated. "Yes sir!"

"Take them to the changing rooms. Get their suits ready. We don't have much time before it makes landfall."

"Yes sir! Come on. Time to get ready for this." He said, heading back through a door behind the command center. Yet another elevator waited for them as they got in it. The ride was quick, and they were all shoved out the door at once in a hurry. "You heard him. Find your locker, and get dressed," He said before going to his own and pulling out a red jacket and slipping it on. "Time to get to work guys. It's gonna be weird, but I trust and believe in you all. I'll leave you guys here. Just call the elevator and head back up when you are ready. Don't take too long, and always remember your training. Understood?"

The group before him all nodded to agree, and began to search for their lockers soon after. "Alright, see you all soon," He said, before getting into the elevator once more.

* * *

The girls and guys lockers were separated by a screen that identified gender, however, it only really covered about the neck area down, and still let light through, allowing dark silhouettes to be seen on both sides. Sena and Kaoru passed through easily, but Akihiko and Reiji were denied access. "Figures, guess our stuff must be over here somewhere." Akihiko said, as Reiji pointed to his own. "You already found yours?"

"No… I just… know where it is." He replied with his same stoic and blank stare.

Disturbed and unable to understand fully, Akihiko found his in a few moments and started changing, as did the others.

Once Sena withdrew her uniform, she couldn't believe how… baggy it was. What would this be used for? Is this the uniforms they were supposed to wear for the EVA Units? How could these help with… anything? The suit was a deep blue near the bottom of where her ribs were down, and above that line it was white with a few streaks of black in places. She looked over to Kaoru, who had already disrobed and was looking at her suit as well. Her's was a deep purple or black, with accents of navy or darker blue still. It was beautiful Sena thought, but soon her attention went from the suit in her gaze to the person holding it, who had caught her eyes staring.

"Aaahhh~~ Sena…" Kaoru said, her eyes narrowing. She turned to face Sena, holding the suit in front of her. "Trying to steal a peak? Don't worry. You don't have to be a little thief." She licked her lips.

Sena stumbled back a little, her back now against the wall by the screen. Kaoru closed in slowly, tossing the suit to the side. "Is there something you wanted to see? I don't mind letting you. You just need to tell me. Cause… well… you know… it's only fair if I get to steal a peak too right?" She grinned mischievously as she got closer and closer. Kaoru reached down to Sena's shirt, and began lifting it up over her. "See? That wasn't so hard was it?" She said with a smile. "God, that bra's adorable."

The article of clothing in question was turquoise in color, a bow between the cups and two bows on the straps as well. "T-thanks… I think… I… I didn't pick it out." Sena replied, a blush rolling over her face quickly. On the other side of the screen, the boys were doing their best to steal glances without notice over the screen. The spectacle only lasted a few moments more, as Kaoru reached to slide the strap off of one shoulder, before a voice came through the room. "HURRY UP! JESUS! SLIP THE SUITS ON AND GET OUT HERE! WE ARE WAITING ON YOU!" Mr. Katsuragi's voice screeched over the intercom. They all moved back to their stations and began to change. Kaoru gave a sigh, but moved back as well, and began to change, giving Sena a wink before snapping her loose strap a little. Sena, now confused about the friendship she shared with Kaoru, stood motionless for a few more moments, before snapping out of it and getting changed herself.

They ran into the Control Room and all stood at attention. Mr. Katsuragi turned around, stern faced and angry. "It's about time! God, did you guys not know how those things worked? They come with instructions. Anyway. Get over here. Look at the screens. We're going through the briefing now."

The screen displayed a terrifying creature that was half obscured by a swirling cloud of… ick. A black mass of disgusting hung around the creature in a strange way, obscuring nearly half of the creature. From what could be seen, the creature had a large central mouth, rows of teeth, and writhing tentacles ending in strange appendages or bulbs of some sort. "While the creature has not made landfall yet, we expect it to in the coming hours. We've changed its landing trajectory so that it will land in the wilderness away from Tokyo-3, but despite that, the landing zone is actually quite large. It can move quite freely in the outer sphere where are satellites are monitoring it, so we suspect it will change course upon entering. The Pilots," the person talking gave a brief pause, as the group parted slightly, allowing everyone to take a glance at the pilots. Akihiko stood at the front of them in his blazing red suit, small parts shown a gray color or deep green; Kaoru was next, her long white-blue hair contrasting well with her darker suit, and Reiji and Sena beside her; the former having a nearly all white suit save for a few light blue parts. "Present," Akihiko said with a smirk. "The Pilots will be up against it this time around, since the Army hasn't made any mention of a force mobilizing to meet the threat. They are probably out of ammunition to say the least. Anyway, that is all for the briefing. Be prepared for anything. We've gathered all the info we could. Hopefully it'll be enough."

 _Hopefully?_ Sena thought to herself. _Hopefully? Do we not know anything about this… thing?_

"Looks like we'll be up against something huge." Akihiko said, turning to the others. "I hope you all are ready. This is going to be intense."

"We'll be fine. I got faith. All we really need to do is take the thing down right? Shouldn't be too hard." Kaoru said, going over to lean on a wall. "There isn't much we can do now except wait. Wait and see what Mr. Katsuragi wants us to do."

"That's right," The person in question said, turning around. "And here is your first assignment. Go down to the Launch Bays. Dr. Akagi should be there. She'll brief you on what the Units have and how to use them. Most of them, you trained with in simulations, but this, being the real deal, might be a bit different. It shouldn't be too hard to find on the map in the elevator. Head there now. I'll be down there soon."

The group nodded in unison, and scampered off through the corridor to the elevator. As the doors closed and left, Makito let out a huge sigh. "That was harder than expected. I figured Sena would break down once he ended with that report. She seems pretty scared."

"It doesn't matter Mr. Katsuragi. She will comply and do as she is told. That is enough." Sena's father, Gendo, looked down from his perch at the tallest part of the command center, watching the readings on his monitors as well as the others. "Once they are ready, deploy them. This angel will be destroyed as quickly as it comes."

The ride on the elevator was filled with stolen glances by Akihiko to the girls. Reiji merely placed his head on the side and stared towards the elevator doors. Sena and Kaoru huddled together and muttered to each other, trying to avoid Akihiko's gaze.

* * *

Upon exiting, Dr. Akagi was down underneath a console trying to fix a few wires. "Sir? Dr. Akagi?" Kaoru said quietly as to not disturb too much.

"Kaoru? Oh man that briefing didn't take long. Give me a sec. I'll be out soon. Just had to… there was a… wire that wasn't working…" He said as he struggled to get back out. Upon exiting, the group got a good look at the head researcher and the brains behind all of NERV and the EVA Units. He was a tall man, short blonde hair that seemed to be darkening with the smoke he kept around him. A pack of cigarettes hung out of his lab coat pocket, which seemed to have a somewhat off white color to it, as if it were much older than it let on. A button down light blue shirt with the first few buttons left undone shone through the gap of the coat, and the loose tie complimented it well. He looked as if every day was a day he was late for. "So, each one of you has a terminal. Go ahead and head to it. I got 'em marked for you guys."

They each moved to their terminal, and clicked it on. The presentation on each started soon after the system was started, and once they all began, Dr. Akagi began with his explanations.

"Now each unit has its own strengths and weaknesses, but they all perform about the same function. They are huge mechs that allow us to combat the oncoming threats of Angels. Now, these creatures, we have no idea what they are truly capable of besides Second Impact. So we treat each one as if it had that same amount of power. So, each is a huge threat to humanity. But you all know this, so I'll skip to the stuff about your Units. Needless to say, you are all protecting the world when you get in these things. That's all I was trying to drive home."

He let out a sigh before going on. "Each Unit is equipped with an umbilical power cord hooked to its back that allows the unit to run on electricity. They all have batteries, but they only last for five minutes. We're working on bigger ones, but five minutes are the best we can do right now. Aside from that, offensively, they all have a progressive knife on them. Unit 00 is in its right calf region. Unit 01 has it on its shoulder, it's in a little shielded wing of sorts. Unit 02 is the same as 01, and I think Unit 03 and 04 have the same storage areas as well. Unit 00 kinda got the short end of the stick on that one. Aside from that, the Eva's have been fit to handle large weaponry as well. Guns of all sorts have been made for them, but without piercing the AT Field of the Angels, bullets don't really do much. Aside from that, in the plug, you will be submerged in this stuff called LCL. It is a weird liquid that you can breathe. It smells horrid, but after a while, you can't really smell it. Promise. Inside, it's much like the simulations. You'll be able to maneuver this huge machine and move it much like you would your body. Think your action out, and do it. It sounds harder on paper or put into words, but literally, think it, and it'll do it. That's about all I can really tell you all…. Does… anyone have any questions?"

Kaoru raised her hand quickly. Dr. Akagi pointed to her to go ahead. "Which one am I piloting today?"

"You'll take 03. 04 had a malfunction earlier today and we need to investigate it and see if there are any damages." He said with a soft smile.

"Understood. I'm ready to go!" She replied.

"Good. I think Mr. Commander should be down here soon to tell you guys to hop in and be ready for deployment." Dr. Akagi rolled his eyes when he spoke of the Mr. Commander.

"That's Mr. Captain Commander to you!" Makito said as he burst into the room. "Time to go kids. Akagi! Show 'em to the plugs, get them filled, and inserted. Apparently this thing is falling faster than they anticipated."

"Shit alright. Come on guys. Head this way." He said as he ran over to another small room. A small elevator hardly big enough for them shot them forward once they all stepped on it. Outside of the elevator, people looked something akin to ants with how high they were up. Below, they scurried around, touching up small things on every unit for their first real deployment. Once the elevator stopped, they exited, following Dr. Akagi to a set of chambers. "These are where the Entry Plugs are. I'll explain once you are in. Hurry!" he said, pointing to the opened doors. They all entered and sat down in their seats, locking themselves in with tight straps.

"Alright. We'll start filling the plugs now. Don't be scared. Once it gets past your head, just breath it in." Dr. Akagi said over the communications system.

Just as he finished, the sound of water roared behind Sena, and the smell of blood filled the air. It was disgusting, but Sena had to endure. Her and her friends were the line of defense against these things. The Army may not be able to stop them. The liquid slowly washed over her, and filled her lungs. Just as Dr. Akagi said, the feeling was strange, but soon, the smell was gone, and her body felt one with the liquid. Soon, the strange orange color of it dissipated as well as her body got used to it. She was simply in a room again with two handles at her sides and a myriad of displays before her. Soon, she felt the room move. "We're inserting you all into your Units. You might feel a light electric charge wash over you. It's normal. It's the plug and the Eva matching frequencies. The monitors around you will act up a little, but it's nothing to worry about. Get ready. Mr." he cleared his throat before continuing. "Mr. Captain Commander might have a few words for you once communication with the Bridge gets linked up. See you all soon."

Sena felt the plug enter its entry point slowly, and as it did, a wave of shock flew through her. Emotions of all kinds enveloped her body. Pain, anger, rage, love, hate, sadness, happiness, joy, everything came to her in a flash. She felt as if she had witnessed an entire lifetime of other emotions in an instant. It shocked her, and scared her. On the monitors, sights of herself as a child, a sea of this orange liquid she swam in, rainbows, rolling fields of grass, the crashing waters of the Sea of Japan. It all came and went in an instant, and then, she could see the small ant like people below her on the screens.

"Sena… Sena! You hearing me?" The voice of her teacher came soon after as a screen popped up in her view.

"I can hear you sir," She replied. "Is… everything alright?"

"So far. We're about to deploy you though. Is there anything you need?" He replied.

 _Tons. What are we fighting? Who sent it to us? Are we supposed to kill it? What is it!? Alien? You call them Angels…. Does that mean we are fighting against gods? Maybe it won't fight. Maybe it will just come and greet us. What do we do then? We aren't diplomats. Why did we have to do this? How did you all know about these things? Who… what… What's all going on?_

"No sir. I think I understand it." She replied with a smile.

"You're doing better than some of us then. Good luck Sena. I have faith in you." He replied, before the communication went off.

* * *

The tension in the air was thick, but it was time. "LAUNCH ALL UNITS! Prepare to engage upon breaching the surface!" the commander's voice sounded over the communication lines.

A rush of force sent each unit upwards through a tube of sorts, and out of the ground, they manifested, each one coming fully online in the process. "Follow your training and take that thing down. That's all you have to do. Protect each other and yourselves." The commander's voice came again.

As they saw the natural sky, and towered above the Tokyo skyline, it was clear that this was it. This was truly what they had been training for. Before each of them, atop the small mountain outside of the city, there sat the disgusting and strange creature, ready for what was before it. Nothing could truly describe it. It moved across tendrils on the ground, some having large hands and feet stomp and grasp to pull it along, while other hands and feet radiated out around it. It began to open its mouth as all that could be heard was the dull crackle of lightning and a roll of thunder as its gapping maw grew larger. With a swift motion, Akihiko rushed in, and planted a fist into the side of its mouth, sending it to the ground.

"Go back to where you came from! If you came to fight we came to kick your ass!"

The creature got up slowly, pushing itself upwards with its strange tentacles. It opened its mouth quickly this time, and the air around them seemed to suck itself towards it and with a huge crack of sound, a bolt of lightning shot from its mouth, as its budded tentacles began to bloom, revealing huge eyes of all shapes and colors, as well as a few mouths. The creature let out another roar of thunder, before starting its advance before Unit 02.

This began the fight with Barachiel, the third Angel.


	6. Chapter 5

"AKIHIKO WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?"

The voice was a scream over their communication link, blaring through the sound of the fizzing lightning as it passed. Once Akihiko saw the shot of lightning and dodged, he and the entire group came to realize just how deadly this Angel could be.

"Back up all of you. Defend yourselves. It's expanding it's AT field now. You won't be able to do that again!" Mr. Katsuragi said over the comm.

"What are we supposed to do!?" Sena said, shivering in her seat.

"BACK UP AND DEFEND YOURSELVES. We are evaluating the damage you caused to it and how it retaliated. We'll think of something." He replied as the comm. Switched to another individual.

"Sena you hear me?" Dr. Akagi's voice came through. "We are ejecting the progressive knife from its storage unit. Grab it and use it if it gets too close."

A loud mechanical noise sounded behind Sena's left ear. A handle was in her peripheral vision, and jutting forward. With the right arm of the unit, she grasped it, and withdrew it. She could feel the vibrations in her arm in the cockpit. It wasn't fully engaged yet. She knew how to activate it, but once she did, that means she was defending herself; defending herself from this… alien creature. This thing they hardly knew, that they angered due to Akihiko wanting to be a hero, a creature that can fire lightning from its mouth!

"Sena watch out!" Kaoru said as the creature lunged forward with its mouth agape towards her. With swift movements, Sena stumbled backwards in the unit, nearly falling over, as the creature bit into a building and sliced through it easily with its strange looking mouth. Soon after, it turned and began to open its mouth again. "It's going to fire again! Sena get out of the way!"

Sena leapt to one side, avoiding the sizzling fury of the creatures attack. The sound pierced her ears, almost as if a firework had gone off right next to her. Her head split with pain, but she was alive, and still inside of the unit. "Come on Sena! Get up! We need to figure out how to get this thing down!"

Reiji was drawing its attention with kicks and punches to its AT Field while the others talked about a plan.

"Readings are still good. Even Akihiko is up to a 90% sync rate," Dr. Akagi said, before moving onto a reading of the creature's attack. "His lightning strike acts somewhat the same as a normal strike. It charges negative ions through its mouth, and then, to position the strike, it throws a positive charge of ions out to where it wants to attack, then releases the charge of negative ions. Strange…" Dr. Akagi paced a little. "We could just put sheet of positively charged metal to redirect the shot. What happens to its AT Field when it unleashes that thing?"

A tech at one of the terminals looked up and answered. "The AT field goes back to its original position just outside of its body. A direct hit could be landed to its body like Akihiko did before."

 _Seriously? Isn't someone gonna need to… I dunno, hold that shit? Or what, are we just going to shoot a rod up in the air and let the lightning hit it?_ Mr. Katsuragi thought as he read over a few charts of the pilots emotional levels. If anything were to happen to them, it would mostly be on him. He trained them, he made sure they were ready for anything, and it would be his fault if his training wasn't good enough.

"Katsuragi!" A voice said, as he snapped out of it.

"Y-yeah!?"

"You're call sir, what do you think we should do?"

 _Dammit Ritsuo! Give me a second! Your brain just pumps out that science shit so quick it's hard for me to come up with tactics!_ Mr. Katsuragi looked to the monitors and watched as the creature lunged to bite at the incoming attack by Reiji. It met it head on, and ripped off a bit of the plating on its leg. _Shit shit shit…_

"Could we positively charge a few metal beams and send them upwards out of the shoots? That could draw the lightning upwards and give them all a chance to strike it and kill it." He said as he looked around to the others for some confirmation.

"That's an idea, but what are we gonna use? Spare parts we have lying around?" said a tech at her monitor.

"Go ahead," Said Gendo from his perch. "Once the strike comes again, the four units are to converge and strike with their knives. If that attack is unsuccessful, we shall formulate a new plan."

 _Thank god. If he says it's a go then that's the plan._ "Alright! Ritsuo, get those things charged anyway you can, and get them ready for launch. We'll be ready the next time they strike." She opened a comm. Link to the pilots. "Listen up, we got a plan underway. Keep it busy for…" She looked back to Risuo, "At least 5 minutes. Alright? Can you do that?"

* * *

"Understood!" Came the voices of the pilots. "Alright!" Mr. Katsuragi continued. "We are going to shoot pieces of metal into the air to draw that lightning attack away from you all so you can move in and give it a good beating! Stay away from your exit shafts and watch the cords of your units. The metal will be coming out from there. Let's get this thing down!"

The comm. Link cut off there, and the fight continued as it had been. Akihiko's progressive knife was now free, as was Kaoru's. They rushed over to Reiji, and began running around and attacking the creature. It almost looked as if it were being bullied with the way the units were attacking it, but they never actually seemed to hit it. Just outside of its actual body, a field of force stopped them from hitting it. Every strike was just out of reach, and the pilots could feel something go through them with each pound on the AT field. A numb, tingling feeling shot through their bodies each time the field was hit.

"What… is that?" Akihiko asked, shaking his body inside the unit, "I can't feel my fingers right now. Is it sending electricity through its AT Field?"

The tingling wouldn't stop. Sena could feel it creep through her and down her spine. It felt like the electricity was searching, looking for something as it went through her. It stopped at the mid of her back, and a pain shot through her, as did with the others. Then, Mr. Katsuragi came back over the comm. link.

Everything seemed to brighten inside the unit. Screens fizzed or the images on screen seem to chop apart and rearrange themselves sporadically. The scene before Sena was a deep red and white landscape, with the angel directly in front of her, 'starring' at her. She felt as if her body was on fire, as her back arched out of her seat. She couldn't breathe, and her body felt numb. Her vision itself began to distort.

In a garbled mess of static, the buzz of the electricity shooting through the units, and the growing sound of thunder ringing in the air, Mr. Katsuragi screamed through their comm. Link. "Deploying beams! If you can hear me, get to that thing and beat it down! It's about to unleash another blast!"

Out of the deployment tubes, steel beams of varying sizes shot upwards and outwards. As they came, the shocks subsided, and the fire that ran through their bodies died down to a slow burn. As they tried to move, they stumbled and crashed through buildings, but two of them made it to the angel with enough time to attack; Akihiko and Kaoru.

Kaoru ducked below, breaking the small barrier of the AT field as she dashed through, and pushing upward, leading with her units feet into the angel's body. Akihiko simply ran through the field before landing a solid slash through the side of the creature. Stalks and tentacles fell to the earth as red liquid similar to blood began to spurt from the angels form. The crackle of thunder ripped through the sky as the creature shivered and moved. Sena and Reiji go to their feet once more after their abysmal display of balance after the shock attack, and met the other two that had closed in around the creature.

"It's hurt pretty bad guys. Keep it up. It's AT field looks like it is lopsided due to that cut. Get in there and take him down!" Mr. Katsuragi said over their comm. Link. The group converged on it, and began to defeat it one punch at a time. A kick here, a slash there, a punch that landed and took out more hunks of its strange flesh; the fight lasted for what felt like forever. Sena felt exhausted. Was the unit using her strength too?

As her mind wandered, her attack missed her mark and she lost her balance. The creature drifted backwards, and let out a quick succession of blasts of electricity as Sena fell to the ground. The other units, still on their feet, dodged the attack quickly, but Sena got the full power of the attack.

The shock was more powerful than the last. Her whole body felt numb once it was over, and her mind was blank. Her vision began to fade in and out, darkening around the edges. She couldn't move at all. Her body wouldn't respond to anything she asked it to do. Nothing seemed to be working. She felt hopeless, hurt, and above all else; alone. Her comm. Link went down, and the interior lights were dimmed. All she could hear was the thunder outside, the clash of the units against the angel, and herself, breathing.

* * *

Words filled the space between her ears. All things she had heard so long ago from others in her life. One voice stood out among the others. It was warm and kind, and it felt gentle and soft. She couldn't place it, but it was somewhere, waiting.

In her view, she saw a field. Sena couldn't understand if she was alive or dead, if this was what heaven was, or if she were waiting in purgatory for someone to let her go to where she needed. She sat on a bench of sorts at a train stop in the middle of nowhere. In the field, flowers blew back and forth as the wind swirled around the orange colored sky. Everything felt… It all just felt so…

"Peaceful?" Said the voices. It sounded almost feminine, but Sena couldn't truly tell. It was garbled. It put her at peace still. There was someone else here, and that set her mind at ease; even just a little bit.

"It is. I can't think of the last time I saw a sunset like this," Sena replied looking over to where the voice was. A woman sat not far from her on the bench. She couldn't see her face, but she knew she was beautiful. A simple white and blue sundress covered her, with a large had covering most of her face and head. Sena could barely make out her lips and chin. Everything seemed hazy around her.

"There aren't any at home?"

"None that I can remember well. I don't see them anymore. Not with a field of flowers below it anyway. Usually, I'm studying, or in the house, or… Well…"

The woman leaned forward, curiosity in her voice. "Is something the matter? Do you want to talk about it?"

"I don't have many friends. I... I have some now… but I doubt they'd want to go sit on the beach and watch the sunset. That's stuff for dates and couples." She said with a giggle.

"You never know Sena. Why don't you ask? Maybe you all could have a little party." The woman said with a hand over her mouth, covering her own giggle.

"I dunno. The boys may not like it. They'll probably want to swim… I dunno if Kaoru or I will want to do that."

"Oh? Boys? My my… I wonder which one is more interested in you." The woman said with another giggle.

Sena felt the blush roll over her face. Who was this woman and what was she thinking? Sena was enjoying her company in this… strangely pleasant void, but who was she?

Sena looked up at the woman, and saw her stand, heading over closer to where the train would arrive. "Well, I will have to leave you Sena. It's time you went back as well. Don't you think? I'm glad we had this little talk, no matter how short it may have been."

"What…? What do you mean? There's no…" Sena stopped her sentence as she saw a train, as silent as the night, pull up next to the platform, open its doors, and leave once the woman was on. She had no time to ask anything else, or even tell her anything else. She was alone once more, waiting for another train she supposed.

A myriad of voices rang out in her head once more. The only words she could make out from them this time were strangely compelling, and felt as if they were calling to her. "Sena… Wake up."

* * *

The others tried to rush in as soon as Unit 01 stopped its seizing and random movements, its hand still holding the progressive knife and stabbing it into the ground. It's hand released the grip once the attack was done, but the others could not get to it, as it was stuck inside of the Angel's AT Field.

"What the fuck happened!? Why isn't she moving!?" Akihiko said, right at the edge of the AT Field. He was pushing as hard as he could to get through to Sena's unit, but each push sent shockwaves of electricity through him. Reiji and Kaoru stood back, shocked by what had happened, both speechless over the comm. Link.

"Stay calm everyone," Mr. Katsuragi said as quietly as he could. His voice shook with each word. "She's fine… Just get this thing down and get her out of there."

Akihiko was punching, pushing, kicking, anything he could do in his unit to get to her. Kaoru and Reiji moved forward to him, but didn't try to stop him. They watched at the red unit 02 thrashed wildly at the field around the angel, ripping and tearing it away as it regenerated back, each attempt more futile than the last.

"Sena… is… gone?" Reiji said, his eyes wide in his unit. He let go of the controls and lifted his hands to his head, running his fingers through his hair. He felt another emotion now. Many in fact. So many he couldn't put them into words. Bittersweetness? Anger and rage? Delirious passion for the want to tear this creature apart to get to Sena? The need to get to her and save her? What was all this? He had never felt them before. Nothing felt right, and nothing felt like it used to.

"I want it back." He said to himself, quietly at first as he disabled his comm. Link for a moment. "Give her back," he said this time, raising his hands up and to the controls once more. He gripped the controls, but the unit did not respond. He jerked and moved with enough force to nearly break his arm as he tried to get the unit to move, but to no avail.

Akihiko was feeling the same effects as well. Soon, his unit was in a frozen state. Kaoru's unit was frozen still as well.

"The units have been overloaded with the electricity from the Angel," Ritsuo said, flicking the cigarette to the ground, letting its embers die, "The umbilical cords have been fused to the units, and have overloaded the batteries. They can't move now. You guys need to enter the shutdown state and eject if you can. You have to get out of there."

"But… Sena is…" Akihiko said, on the verge of tears.

"She'll be fine… you just have to—"

"I'M NOT LEAVING SENA TO DIE!" Akihiko screamed.

The Angel had been moving over to Sena's downed unit since it collapsed. No one knew what it was going to do, but it had hovered over her for quite some time, seemingly pinning it down with its plethora of tentacles and appendages around its body.

* * *

All at once, with a roar of strength and agility, unit 01 had thrust its arms into the creature's wounds, and began tearing its insides out. The Angel staggered back, and then charged at unit 01. Unit 01 dashed towards it, and threw one of its hands back, and thrust it into the Angel's gapping maw. The angel clamped down tight, but it was too late for it. The angel fell to the ground, agonizing and thunderous sounds roared from it, as it began to wither away. Unit 01 stood triumphant over it, holding an orb of sorts in its hand. It tossed it to the other units, hitting a building and demolishing most of it, before it lunged to the dying angel and began to devour it in frenzied motions and noises.

"Send the emergency shutdown sequence to Unit 01 now. We can't control it!" Mr. Katsuragi said, yelling to the command center.

After a minute of devouring the angel, the unit slumped and fell over; exhausted from the endeavor of the fight and the eating. The shutdown sequence came and caused this, but none were ever sure of it.

The ward was a quiet place. The others had already been treated, and Reiji was the only other one with serious injuries. Burns and nerve damage to his arms and feet were the worst of it. Akihiko had numbness in his feet and hands, but they would be gone. Kaoru merely had a few scrapes and tingly feelings all over. Sena however, was getting all the medical treatment she could just to stay conscious.

When they got her out of the entry plug, she was a mess. Her body was cold, and it seemed to twitch and move with even a slight touch from another. Her eyes were open, and looking around to everything all at once; her moth was slightly agape and unable to move, and she could not walk on her own either. She was in a form of a catatonic state. They rushed her to the treatment rooms and began working immediately on her. The group was reaching the fourth hour mark when Akihiko finally broke the silence.

* * *

"How did she do that?" He said, speaking mostly to the wall, as the others were on the other side of the hallway.

"You are wondering that too?" Kaoru said, her hands gripping the bottom of her skirt by her knees.

Reiji merely sat with his knees to his chest and his head buried in them. The group sat in silence for a moment longer, before Akihiko spoke again.

"I hope she is alright. I felt so powerless trying to get to her. I couldn't do anything."

"That makes three of us," Kaoru said. "We saw you, pounding away on the AT field. I couldn't move at all, I was in such a shock. Reiji nearly broke his arm trying to move in his unit. His suffered a complete battery failure. We just… aren't as strong as her it seems."

"Then we'll get better." Akihiko said, looking back to her, a flame in his eyes the color of his hair. "We'll get stronger. Better at controlling our units. We'll come up with more tactics. We need more time training in those things. They can't expect us to just practice in simulations and get out there and get it all done on the first go…" He caught himself making excuses.

"Regardless, we did nothing, and Sena saved us. We have to repay her somehow, right?" She said, with a gentle smile.

Akihiko returned it with his own, and Reiji looked up for the first time in four hours.

Sena was released two hours after, walking on her own feet. In the hallway where the three other pilots were, now sat three friends sitting on the bench together, asleep from exhaustion. As Sena stepped out, the crashing sound of her feet in the quiet hallway woke them with a start. Once their eyes met hers, they grouped around her, and spoke all at once. Sena couldn't believe it. They were all treating her like a hero, or someone who had at least done something good enough to warrant this kind of praise. What all had she done?

* * *

School was ablaze with rumors as to what happened. The creatures body was gone and the sphere that unit 01 obtained from it was gone as well. The buildings were gone as well, but were being rebuilt quickly. Some of the kids said that their parents were out of a job for a little while, but were getting paid still to just stay at home. Others said that their normal hangout spots got demolished somehow and they had to find a new place. They knew that the enemy came, but they just didn't know what it looked like or what it did. The only thing they could really remember was the thunder and lightning.

Reiji, Kaoru, and Akihiko showed up without any major signs of damage, while Sena wore a small patch on her arm to regulate how much energy she was using, and to make sure she kept herself hydrated and fed correctly due to the damage the attack caused. No one really seemed to notice. As the day went on, and simulations came and went, no one seemed to notice anything about the four individuals. The whole school knew that their chance to fight would be coming up soon, but they wondered who had fought the creature this time? Rumors spread it was some upper classmen, while others said that a junior high kid did it all himself.

As time passed, the rumors died out. A week went by and it was as if nothing had happened at all. The patch on Sena's arm was now gone, and everything seemed back to normal. The day felt off however. Something seemed… out of place.

* * *

Kaoru sat with one leg over the other. She wore a small dress to help keep her cool during this hot day after school, and now she was running late for her and the others to go see a movie. Before her in the other chair sat a girl about the same age, with a light blue gown of sorts, with hardly anything below it; darker parts of the gown hide the important parts.

Kaoru switched to crossing her legs another way before beginning the conversation. "So… you came here… to join me? Or… are you here for something else? Because I definitely don't think this will work."

The girl's cold stare seemed as if it bore through her, but she held her ground. It was just another angel like the last. They could not truly hurt her, no matter what they tried. She had a time to die, and the time was not now. "I am here for the same reason as Barachiel, but it seems he has been eliminated. I truly wish to know why. Why attack a peaceful messenger?" Her voice held ice in its syllables.

"Did you not see the form he took? Anyone would be disturbed by this and want to attack it."

"How rude. He is your brother."

" _Was._ If you want, I will not stop you, but, I suggest you at least try to enjoy yourself a little. While He will allow this, he won't allow it for long however. I am the one who is to take part in the final performance. You can have a supporting role, and then see yourself off-stage." Kaoru said, proud of her way with words.

The girl looked confused. "I will do as I please. He has given me free reign since Barachiel has managed to be killed. I will talk with these… people, and I will make my own inferences. I have already found a group of humans that I can house myself with. The proper precautions have been made as well. In fact, I will see you at this 'school' tomorrow."

"Sure you will Nuriel. Sure you will." Kaoru said, before standing up. "Leave please. I have important business to take care of."

"As you wish. But remember, I am here to observe and ask questions. Interference will not be tolerated." She said, her stare growing colder by the minute.

"You can't fight at the school, but I will fight you on my own time if I need. I'll see you at school if these threats are as they say." Kaoru huffed, before pointing out of the room.

* * *

The door opened quickly as Mr. Katsuragi came in, looking as if he had woken up hardly ten minutes ago. "Hello class," He let out a sigh. "Before we get homeroom started, I have an announcement." He tilted his head back before rubbing his eyes. He grabbed the paper on the desk and lifted it closer to him. "So… You can come in now," He said to the half open door.

The person who came forth was a beauty by many standards. The girl had beautiful long legs, gorgeous hair that seemed to have an exotic color of light blue, piercing blue eyes, a slim figure that fit the uniform well and left much to wonder about, flawless skin as white as snow, and a necklace that looked and sparkled like freshly cut diamonds. She gave a small bow before speaking, her demeanor and voice a cold contrast to the hotter spring season. "Hello everyone. I am Nami Murakami. It is a pleasure to meet you all. I will be in your class for the time being. I hope to make this time… worthwhile."


	7. Chapter 6

The dream was something as real as the wind; invisible to the eye, but felt over your whole body. I lay there, just sitting and waiting… then I raised myself up. It was dark, still, and sounded as if a war was going on beyond the threshold beyond the abyss I was wading in. I moved to it.

I don't know why. I went quickly. I felt my legs hurt as the muscles urged the bones to move as they should, or perhaps shouldn't. I felt the wind rush over me, telling me words of warning, fear, sadness, and hate.

"Return, you should not come. This will scar you. This will scare you. This will **haunt you.** "

"You won't like this. You were safe there. Why do you always have to be here?"

"I'm scared… just as you are."

The last one might have been me calling to them… whoever the voices were, but I continued.

Then I saw it.

Carnage lay before my eyes as I dropped whatever was in my hands. I wanted to think it was something to defend myself, but I highly doubt it was that. It was something I kept with me often. A pillow, blanket, it was something akin to that. I fell atop it, watching as the police took photo after photo of what was before me.

A noise I had not heard came from me, and then I was taken away. That was the last I saw of them. They were dead, gone, and forgotten by the world. One a brilliant writer, taking the human imagination on journeys unknown at the time, and the other, a marvel of a scientific mind, ever reaching and wanting more; They left me alone, to fend for myself and become something that they would notice and be proud of.

That was the last time I saw them. I shuffled around from place to place, reaching higher and higher, hoping that one day, I could reach the heavens, and tell them both…

"Mother… Father… Look at all I've done. Are you proud of me now?"

The words broke through his mind and woke him up. Akihiko lay in his bed, sweating, and breathing heavily.

"Dammit. That dream…"

He knew his parents were proud of him, regardless of what he had done or will do, but still, he felt responsible for what happened that day. Their deaths, their overwhelmingly powerful deaths at the hands of each other, someone else, or something else entirely still made him feel… empty to what they may have wanted from him. Each night the dream happened, it was the same. The voices, the scene that he can never forget, the flashes of lights and those feelings of emptiness; he never wanted to feel something that bad again. He almost had before with Sena when she was knocked out but…

He shook his head. "That's not the same. She didn't die."

 _Thank god._

Standing and stretching, he looked over to the window, watching the curtains sway slowly in the circulating air of his room. He drew them open, and let the light wash over him as the shower of warmth began to wake him up. "Guess… it's time for school again."

It had been a few days over a week since the attack with the electrifying Angel. Another new student had joined their class, and the reports from their teacher said that… there were no immediate threats.

Akihiko disrobed and went to his bathroom to get ready for the day. The water warmed and he stepped into his shower, thinking about everything that they could be called to do. "Our lives are on the line every fight… We're… the only real defense against those things…" He said, his mind heavy on the thoughts. He closed his eyes and let the water rush over him, letting it take him into a river of bliss and tranquility. He hadn't felt this sense of calm in a while… he somehow felt safe and cared about.

He liked the feeling, and he wanted it to last for as long as he could make it so.

* * *

It was only the second day that the transfer student had arrived, but already she had made a name for herself. "The Ice Queen," by most of the more forward and perverted boys seeking to date her, most of the girls simply called her by name; behind her back however, the "Ice Demon's" name got hurled around and thrown in the dirt more often than most.

It was terrifying to behold. One person couldn't be so blunt or cold to everyone, could they? Perhaps it was an act to keep herself safe from getting to close to people? Maybe she just needed her space for now and she would join her own group of friends later?

Wishful thinking from most people in her class certainly. She sat in an unoccupied desk at the front of the room, answered every question when called on and volunteered for many things. The semester was heating up as the month rolled on, and many students were exhausted from the heat, but somehow, Nami Murakami only wore her winter uniform, of a longer skirt, long sleeved top, and even a small cardigan over it. The class wondered who she could be, and where she could be from, but each question about her and each question fielded to her by another student gave nearly the same response.

"I don't associate with naïve plebeians. Begone from my sight this instant. I am here to study."

Variations only made the answers hurt more.

"What do you think of her Sena?" Akihiko asked as his head rested on his hand. The school day had almost come to an end, and the next day would be exactly a week before Golden Week began. Everyone in the class was excited, except Nami it seemed.

"She just seems… really lonely… Kind of like how I was… but…" She said, somewhat hesitantly.

Nami turned to look at her, seemingly hearing her comment even though she was so far off. Sena was taken by surprise, and gasped a little before averting her gaze. She looked to Akihiko, and smiled a little. "Maybe she just needs friends?"

"With that attitude of hers, good luck." He replied, his arms crossed.

"Well that's the pot calling the kettle black." Kaoru's voice broke through the stagnant conversation. "I wouldn't get too close to her. She seems a bit iffy. Even to me." She put her bags on top of her desk and wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. "Uhhhh it's hot…" She sat down with a slump. "What are you guys gonna do for Golden Week?"

Akihiko sat up to this, awaiting their answers, eyeing Sena mostly to see what she would say. "Since we are some of the only students that have a full EVA, we can't really go far. If we get called, we need to be ready ASAP."

"Yeah. But still, doesn't mean we can't enjoy our time off… right?" Sena replied, running a brush through her hair."

"I guess… But still…" The two snapped their gaze to Sena, awaiting her answer.

"Ummm…. I don't know what I want to do for Golden Week… All the previous years… I just stayed with my dad… This year I think he said he'll be working…"

"Perfect. That means we can do whatever we want almost," Kaoru giggled, a mischievous smile cracking across her face, "how about we head to the beach a few days then? It's close to our houses. We can even invite Reiji and Akihiko, if you want to anyway."

"I'm right here," Akihiko said, pointing at her from his desk, "Why'd that sound like you really didn't want us around?"

"Did you say something?" She said with a cold smile.

"Guys don't fight," Sena managed to get out before the last bell for classes rang. Students began to shuffle out the door, going to clubs or heading home. Kaoru and Reiji both went home together, saying that had to contact someone after school, but they would be over to hang out soon, and Akihiko said he needed to check something out in the town market before heading to the dorms, and then heading over to Sena's. They had made that the meeting place for activities after school. Her father was never home after school, and the entrance into Headquarters was right around the corner. It was a perfect place to wait just in case something where to go awry or at least, that was the reason Akihiko gave.

After waving them on, Sena gathered her things and began to leave too. She stood up, and realized that she was the only other student in the room, with Nami. She looked over to the girl, and noticed she was still sitting, focused on her book in front of her. She was stunning to say the least, even to Sena. She could just feel… brilliance and beauty exude from the girl that sat a few feet away. Sena slid out of her seat slowly, and moved quietly over to the class's cold beauty.

"H…hey…" She managed to mumble, "I… I haven't seen you… talk to anyone much… are you… are you… not…" Sena couldn't get the words out. Her throat felt dry… and cold. Her eyes were starting to blur as the chill of the… wait… chill?

She felt her skin crawl with an eerie chill, and an icy feeling creep up her spine. Nami turned, and met her with an even colder stare. "Tell me, why did you come to talk to me?" She said bluntly.

"I… I thought you looked lonely…" Sena said, stumbling back.

"Do I? Do I not look like I was concentrating on the book I was engrossed in? Did it not occur to you that I may not wish to talk to some of the people around me due to their incessant questions about every facet of my being? Did I not appear to be simply a student wishing to learn in a new place? Do I look helpless or in need of assistance, Sena Ikari?" The chill seemed to encroach on Sena's body as the questions came in waves. Soon, she was backed into the wall, at the mercy of Nami's words.

"I… I'm sorry… I… just wanted to see how you were doing…" Tears began to spring to the corners of her eyes. They did not roll, but the glint from the sun outside caught them just so, and shined brightly to Nami.

Nami's eyes narrowed. _Innocence. That's what she likes about these lilin. They are all… incompetent, and impressionable. You can change them, mold them… I understand… but why did they attack Barachiel? Simply to show their power? And what were those creatures that helped subdue him? Perhaps… I can find this out from them… This… Sena girl… she seems nice at least…_ Nami thought to herself, before letting her eyes rest and close for a moment.

The chill in the air subsided, or perhaps Sena simply became accustomed to it, but soon, Sena could feel the air around her warm again. "I am sorry Sena Ikari… I have been harsh. It seems that… stress must be getting to me." She gave a deep bow after standing up. "I hope that I did not anger you in any way."

"No… no… uh… Just… was a little scared. That's all…" Sena gave a small laugh before getting herself off of the wall. "So… What… do you do after school Nami?"

"I go home and study. That is all I really do. Why do you ask?" She said, before gathering her things and getting ready to leave.

"Would you… want to come to my house? We can hang out for a while and I can show you around town on the way. There are plenty of things to do… besides study anyway." She said with a brighter smile.

Nami looked confused. "Aren't you all… students? Don't you… need to study?"

"Well…" Sena scratched her cheek with one finger, "We do… but you need rest and relaxation to study better… right? Even just… getting some chocolate or something while you study helps a lot!"

 _What have I stumbled into? What is this? Students are to learn and study the ways of the past and of knowledge they do not have so that they better the future. Even all of us as Adam's children know this and study as best we can… constantly until we are adequate for our jobs… I have studied the climates of a myriad of different worlds with my brothers and sisters, ensuring seasons, rotations of planets, positions in the stars… everything is just right for them… what is this… chocolate she speaks of? A tool to help study? Why… if it were so simple, we angels would have come up with something so vital. A way to increase knowledge gained…_

Nami was deep in thought, but Sena stayed put as she watched her new friend zoom through her mind.

 _Perhaps this is what I should investigate instead. I am not here to harm… I am here to observe and learn… They wish to know why Barachiel was attacked but… I can figure that out alongside this tool that could speed even our own development! The Council will be pleased!_

A wide true smile came across her face, and Sena smiled in return. "Alright! Let's walk to my house! We'll stop by a few shops before getting there!"

* * *

Reiji sat in his vat of liquids with his respirator secured over his mouth. The tests were being run as she was instructed to do while SEELE watched over the procedure and the interview with her began.

Sena slid her school uniform off as Reiji's tests began and put on a blue dress to let herself breathe a little. The monitors came on soon after, each with their own number displaying in a brilliant red. The voices were muggy and distorted as usual, but Kaoru could still tell them apart.

"Good afternoon Kaoru. We will start the weekly meeting soon. Is there anything you wish to tell us before we begin our questioning?" The monitor with 01 on it fizzled slightly, indicating it was the one who was speaking.

"I can save you the trouble of some of the questions. Do I know what Nuriel wants? No, and I don't care what they frozen hag says. Do I know who might show up next? There are a lot of them… it could be anyone… Maalik may show up next. He never really liked Nuriel's chilly nature. I dunno though. Could be anyone. Didn't you guys already have a line-up of who you thought would come? It's right so far I think. And yes, I am still getting close to Sena. She's a nice girl and I am interested in her. Happy? Do you have any other idiotic questions for me to answer?" She stood with her fists on her hips, and resting her weight on one side with her hip sticking out to the side.

The group was taken aback for a moment, gasps and words of exclamation and anger came from the monitors. 01 called for order, and it came quickly. "We all have a few questions for you that are not a part of Nuriel in the slightest. Could we ask those?"

"I don't see why not. Just hurry up. Reiji and I have to be somewhere soon." She replied, anger growing in her voice slowly.

04 began this time. A female from what Kaoru could ascertain. "With your time here on the Earth, how have you taken to adjusting to human life? Do you think others like yourselves could do that?"

"Perhaps," She replied. "Many do not have the same inner workings as me. Many can change form, but most want to keep themselves in their intended states, and do not wish to change, which is why you saw Brachiel look as he did."

03 began soon after a man… perhaps? "How are you feeling? Do you feel any different since you arrived? Have you gotten sick at all?"

"No… I'm not sick. Won't get sick either. Reiji won't either. Shouldn't anyway. And really? Yeah I feel different but I can't place it. Next fucking question." The anger was beginning to get the better of her.

02 came in as soon as she was done. A woman's voice she recognized. "What can we expect from what we are attempting?"

"What do you want to accomplish?" A soft buzz resonated in the room, and Reiji's tank began to drain. "We'll find that out soon won't we? I think we are going to cut the meeting short today. I'll be back next week with much more to tell. For now, goodbye SEELE. We shall both see you later." With a snap of her fingers, and to their protests, the monitors clicked off one by one as Reiji exited the tank. He dressed himself and moved over to the door, soon to head to his room.

"Were the tests satisfactory?" He asked, looking back at her a moment.

"As far as I know yes. You're doing fine." She replied, digging through her closet to find a better outfit.

"So there is… nothing wrong with me?"

"Nothing at all Reiji. Keep experiencing the things you want. Those emotions you are feeling are good things. They aren't bad. I'm finding that out as well," She gave a heavy sigh, "There's a lot of stuff that we don't understand Reiji. We should just live and discover those things for ourselves. That way, we won't have any regrets. Understand? Just live."

Reiji merely nodded, and left, leaving her to her own devices. He pondered what she meant as he rummaged through is things for the proper clothing as well.

* * *

The final stretch to the Ikari home was filled with beautiful views, the scent of flowers, and a nice breeze that took the hot air with it. The two girls made their way down the road slowly, soaking in the sun and enjoying the wisps of sea air coming from the beach not far from the home.

"So… how did you like the shops? I used to go all the time, but now since I have friends… well…" Sena blushed a little as she carried on to the silent Nami next to her. She held a few bags in her hand that contained a swimsuit that she liked, an assortment of chocolates and sweets in another, and the last one was a plastic sack from a convenient store, containing a few random delicious snacks recommended by Sena.

"These shops are quite… quaint. The smells from the chocolatier were divine however. When can we partake in those?" Nami said, her eyes appearing to glisten with want for the confections.

"We can take a bite once we are at my house. I think we still need to change for our little after school get together right?" Sena said, and then gasped a little. "I didn't even think… did you… bring anything to change into? I don't know if my stuff will fit but… you can try."

"Thank you but it is not needed," She said, lifting her bag, "I bring a change of clothes every day so that I do not have to wear those disgusting clothes after our physical exercise. I can change into those."

"Haha! I know what you mean. It does feel weird putting your school clothes back on afterwards…" Sena said, going along with the conversation as they reached the door.

They went in and changed, and before long, were back downstairs. Sena began getting things out for snacks and to begin their after school activities. Soon after, the doorbell rang.

"Coming," Sena said, as she moved through the living room to the front door. Nami followed to investigate.

She opened the door to see Reiji in his usual button down and shorts combo that she had seen so many times, Akihiko behind them in a t-shirt and shorts, and Kaoru in a small blue dress.

"Hey there Sena! How's ever—Woah! Hey Nami, didn't expect you here…" Akihiko said, his eyes getting wide as he saw the Ice Queen next to Sena. She wore a white dress with a blue ribbon around her waist, and gave a slight bow to them. "Welcome. Sena invited me over for you're after school activities. I hope that is alright."

Kaoru gave her a quick glare, but gave Sena a happy smile. "The more the merrier right? Come on! I rented a movie for us to watch! It's called Alien!" She said in a cheery voice as the two boys looked to each other with a sense of dread and fear, either for the events about to unfold before them between the girls, or the terrifying scenes depicted in the films Kaoru had brought.


	8. Chapter 7

The party was one of friends gathering, and of an outsider watching them intently. The ice around the woman grew thinner with each passing moment. Something broke through finally, and it was not human interaction or the act of the angel in human form; but of food.

The smell came through the air just as the vegetables and meat hit the grill. Sena and her assistant for the time, Reiji began cooking the food for the party as Kaoru and Akihiko argued about the best directors of the current age of cinema. All that Nami could think about was the delicious things that were cooking. She shot upwards, the warmth enveloping her, as she made her way into the kitchen. Those arguing were speechless as she drifted in, and simply watched, mouth agape as the food was prepared.

"Is… something the matter Nami?" Sena asked, before flipping a few pieces of chicken in oil to finish frying.

"What… is all this?" She said, before closing her mouth and straightening up.

"Well, I'm not too confident in it, but I am making sesame chicken. I have the sauce over there ready. It's about to be put in here to make it a bit thicker and sticky. Does it smell good?" Sena replied, a smile on her face.

She nodded, and looked over to Reiji's station. He had cut a few vegetables and was grilling them with a little salt and some different sauces. Aside from that, he also had a few pieces of meat he was grilling as well. "He said he wanted to try making steak… so we got a few… So far, it seems he's doing fairly well." Sena said, looking at her 'apprentice' working so hard.

Reiji was wholly enraptured by the process, concentrating on even the smallest of details. He made no mistakes as the smell of meat and vegetables cooking wafted over to Nami and filled the house. She couldn't stand it. She never wanted to leave this place. This place of heavenly smells and divine things such as this mysterious chocolate she had yet to eat.

But did she truly have a choice?

The High Council, led by Jophiel, was one of absolute authority on the matter, and she had somehow swayed their idea of total annihilation of the earth. She wanted nothing more than to seek revenge for her fallen brother, Barachiel, but his wish, and a few other angels, wanted to give the Lilin a chance, as well as the earth. Nami never wanted to come herself, but at the Council's insistence, she had to. She was in a predicament that she did not wish to be in, but now… she never wanted to leave. The penalty for such a thing meant death or banishment… but there were some who escaped such things and came here… Perhaps she could be another? These humans were just too interesting. She wanted to see more, do more, and experience more with these people that she wanted to call friend. These humans were something extraordinary, and she wanted to experience so much… more…

 _Lilin. They are lilin._ She thought to herself. _Once the mission is done, I can go from there._

"The food will finish in a second. Can you set the table guys?" Sena said.

Akihiko and Kaoru were already up and in the kitchen before Sena finished her sentence. The duo worked together to set the table quickly, and was done within a few minutes. "Done master chef! The table awaits the fine foods of your creation!"

"Geez guys you didn't have to work so fast…" Sena said, before mixing the sauce into the chicken. Kaoru was plating his food and carrying it over just as Sena finished and moved her's over.

Aside from the smell, as Nami sat down, she was bombarded with a colorful array of food. The chicken was breaded and covered in a deep orange sauce, with a few specs of real oranges scattered about in it, as well as sesame seeds sprinkled over the top. Steamed broccoli accompanied it on the side and gave a deep contrast to the food. Reiji's dish had long pieces of a myriad of vegetables grilled and set in a rainbow of an array, with pieces of steak sitting at the center. He had cut each steak into pieces big enough to compliment the size of the vegetables as well. The colorful food sent memories flowing through Nami's mind, of a time when her brother brought something from the Earth to her. Bread. Something that sounded so simple to make that the angels had long forgone due to finding a way to get all their daily needs through easier ways, the bread was something that tasted delicious, and smelled and looked just as good too. The find was extraordinary, but would never be found again. When Adam went to get Lilith, and was defeated and captured, those trips ceased, and talk even then about obliterating the earth was heated and nearing a decision. It was her brother who thought so highly of them, and that stopped them nearly each time… Now… now all she had was…

"Let's dig in!" Kaoru said loudly, as Nami snapped out of her stupor. She, as well as the others, piled their plate high with food, and began to eat. Each bite tasted better than the last, as the warmth of the food radiated through her. "This is truly amazing! Nothing like what I partook of back home!" She said, her mouth full of food. "I want to have this every day! Sena! Could you please tell me how to make this?"

"Of course!" She said immediately. "That's what friends are for!"

 _Friend?_ Nami thought, _did I truly… befriend this Lilin? No… this… human? Could… Could this be alright? I sense no ill-intent from them… and they have welcomed me with open arms… how… how could we destroy a people so pleasant and nice?_

The thoughts whirled through her head as the meal was finished, and the party was moved to the living room, where the screeches and screams of the movie screen began as they hit play.

After that, Nami was terrified. _Oh god. What in the name of Adam was all that? What happened to those people? Are they alright? Are they still floating in space?_ "What… What did we just experience?" Reiji nodded next to her, perplexed rather than frightful after such an experience.

"This? It's a movie. Science fiction. A film made in America about these people on a space station." Akihiko said plainly.

"You know it's much more than that!" Kaoru said, as their argument about movies began anew.

"But what happened to them? Are they alright? What were those creatures? That 'space station' structure was infested with those… things… This woman is courageous to say the least!" Nami said, her body still slightly shaking.

"It isn't real Nami. It's just a movie. People make up stuff like this all the time. In fact… Kaoru and Akihiko have let me borrow a few movies. Do you want to watch some more? It's getting late, but we can always watch more later, or you can borrow some." Sena said with a gentle smile.

"Hey those are ours!" Kaoru and Akihiko stopped their arguing to exclaim.

Reiji moved over to the movies and picked out a few, and kept them close. "These… I will watch."

"Those are for Nami!" Kaoru and Akihiko interjected together once more.

The scene felt surreal, but familiar. Friends chatting, arguing, and laughing at simple jokes and carrying on about their lives. Nami saw all of it as a picture of what all of these Lilin were about, and now, she felt a part of it. She could feel warmth welling in her chest, and she felt like saying something... She felt… happy.

"Everyone..." She said, before standing up, and making sure she had everyone attention. "Thank you, Thank you all. Tonight has been… amazing. I could not have asked for a better group to spend the day with. This… movie has been frightful, but entertaining, and the food was delicious. If I could, whenever you do this again… can you… please invite me again?"

Kaoru, shot her a glare that spoke far more than what others might have seen. _I told you so. You are as enraptured by these Lilin as I am. However, you may not be able to escape the Council._ She thought to herself.

A silence permeated the room, but soon, was broken by Sena, standing up. "Of course Nami. You're our friend. Of course we'll invite you." A smile greeting her once she raised her head.

"Thank you Sena…" She said, a tear rolling down her face. She had never felt so… happy and at peace, even high above the clouds with her other angels. It was blissful, and simple.

Before she knew it, she was wrapped up in the world. Everything about it intrigued her. The smell of the chocolate merely sealed the idea that she had forming in her head. She still wished to know the answers to her objectives, but right now, she wanted to experience everything that Sena and her friends had told her. The Golden Week that they continued to talk about, and all of their plans sounded exciting, so why wouldn't she join them? If her time here felt this good, and this chocolate smelled this divine, why shouldn't she participate with them? She could learn so much about them, and the world, and everything that these humans do.

Lilin… These Lilin do.

Her mind felt conflicted. One side wanted them gone. They were far less advanced, could not talk peacefully to their first few emissaries, and after her first few encounters at the school, she felt as if they were less than the black mess between the stars that needed no mention. The other side of her mind was excited. Excited for everything she was about to do with the group of friends she made, excited to experience this great body of water they called an ocean. She had only ever seen them from the heavens, and thought that they looked… quite plain to say the least. She wanted to experience all of these movies that they had planned, their trip to the large mall not far from them, travelling around to a shrine that Sena had always wanted to see, and the best part from what everyone was saying…

"Onsen?" Nami said, as they were all running down the list of things that they were going to do. "What is this... onsen? Why is it on the last day of this week as well?"

Akihiko wanted to begin speaking first, but was immediately interrupted by Kaoru. "It's not a big deal usually, but I got this awesome deal at an onsen not far from us. It's like a hot spring or a spa. We basically have the entire day to do what we want there, buy souvenirs, relax, and play a lot of games and watch more movies. After getting through all of our activities for Golden Week, it'll be a nice relaxing way to get ready for school again."

Akihiko brushed himself off and began again. "Not to mention it's an open air bath! So we can see the stars and the sky at night! It's going to be aweso—,"

"It's also not mixed so we don't have to worry about the gross boys bothering us while we bathe and relax!" Kaoru interjected again.

The guests left slowly one after the other, as Nami was the last to leave. Sena held out a bag for her before she stepped into her shoes. "Your school uniform is in here. I washed it for you too. Your chocolates and stuff are in a small bag in there too. Um… I hope you had fun… It looked like you enjoyed yourself anyway. And if you want to join us for all of our Golden Week things, we'd love for you to come. It would be really fun to have another girl to talk to besides Kaoru 'cause she really gets out of control and it seems like with you around she's a bit more mild mannered and she doesn't seem to—," As Sena kept trailing on about the situation, Nami let out a few giggles and a sudden outburst of laughter came.

"I am… sorry Sena. Of course I will join you all. I am too entertained by all of this to not pass up such an invitation. Tomorrow at school, I will talk to you all again about your plans. Thank you very much for the entertainment today, and the glorious food you prepared. I shall pay you back in some way," She gave a gentle bow, and looked up, "I promise you."

Sena gave a small bow as well, blush crossing her face. She'd never been bowed to before… at least not by someone that sounded more like a noble from a faraway country anyway. She could only mumble a few more words before Nami exited with a wave as the door clicked behind her. Sena let out a sigh of relief as she made her way to the kitchen to have a small bite of the chocolate that they had gotten prior for a small snack, and then it was off to bed.

"She's so weird…" She said to herself as she climbed the stairs to her room, "But that's what I like about her. She is honest, and innocent. She… seems really nice once you break her out of her cold shell. I can't wait for Golden Week now."

She stopped once she reached the top. She had never said that before. Every Golden Week was the same. She'd shop, visit a few places around town, but never really go anywhere or do anything. Golden Week was simply a week off to rest from school, the place she loved to be most. Now, it was something she was looking forward to. Such a short time, and now things had changed so much. Sena couldn't help but let out a light laugh.

"I have some great friends!" She said, before heading to prepare for bed.

* * *

"Why do you hesitate Nuriel?!" The voice came through the sphere with a burst of anger. "These Lilin killed Barachiel! You must have learned all you need to reach your decision by now! There must be a decision soon! Everyone in the Council is awaiting your final report!"

The voice was of Jophiel, the Judge for the Council. Nuriel had always thought he was never truly the right choice for his job, but she was in no position to argue for him to be replaced; His rank far exceeded hers. He was rash, hasty, and altogether infuriating to listen to usually. He despised the Lilin more than anyone—aside from Ahriman, but what did Ahriman not despise?—but was supposed to judge the actions of them and the angels over them? Preposterous to say the least.

Nami cleared her throat, changing her vocal tone to that of her angelic form. Icy wind seemed to follow her voice. "This next week should prove to me what exactly these Lilin do, and if they should truly be considered a threat to us. It seems, from the information I gathered, they assumed Barachiel was a warrior coming to kill them. From the things I have seen that these Lilin can come up with on their own, it was a safe assumption on their part." She shivered some from remembering the creatures depicted in the movie they had just watched. "Regardless, my final report will be given on the last day of the next week. I will give the report for you all to make your own deliberations on during the night of that final day. If nothing is heard from me, I have either succumbed to their attacks, or I am at peace with them. I am well away of what happens to Angels that desert, and I know of the many that have escaped and joined back under provisional laws. I will make my decision with my fate in mind. I give my word unto the Most High and to Adam."

Jophiel let out a stern grumble, but continued. "We await your decision messenger. Do not disappoint us. You will know which decision is right."

With that, the sphere dissipated, and Nami stood now in a room almost bare of decoration. Books sat atop a desk, and sheets of light blue rested on a bed. The bag given to her by Sena sat on the ground next to the desk, tipped over, its contents spilling onto the hardwood floor. Nami moved over to it, put the things back in it, and then sat it on the desk to go through it. Atop her school uniform, sat the small bag of chocolates she had yet to try, A small container of some of the leftover chicken that was uneaten, and a little note that Sena asked everyone to write on. As she retrieved it and unfolded it, she saw what it was. Numbers with the names of the friends she had made next to them. She had got a phone to fit in with everyone else at the school, but she had never really used it. For now, she set it aside, and put the leftover food away in the fridge down the hall. All that was left was the chocolate.

It had been a long journey from the store, to Sena's, and now into Nami's room, but finally, was the time to partake. Sena had pointed to a multitude of different confections in the store, and bought a few for Nami to try. Picking them apart and eating them would be simple, but deciding which ones to try first would be the hardest. One had a creamy filling called 'caramel,' which Sena said she loved the most due to the contrasting tastes in the chocolate and caramel. Another was an orb of chocolate made with milk. It was said to be the most well-known and easy to eat chocolate. Another was a disk of layers having chocolate, a thin layer of pink strawberry tart, another layer of chocolate, and then another of strawberry. Finally, the last was powdered chocolate, needing to be mixed with hot milk or water to make a beverage. The decision was hard, but Nami found that the drink would be the best, as it would last for the rest of the time until her research for the night was concluded. Once the milk had heated up, the powder was poured in, and stirred. The aroma was captivating, and the appearance of the dark liquid sent some shivers through Nami's body. As it cooled slightly, Nami took a small sip.

The same warmth she felt with the others and the delicious food she consumed washed through her body. It was as if the party had never ended, but only subsided in her to wait for this moment. Her head filled with the memories of their time together, and her mind raced at what all this Golden Week could bring.

"Sena…" She breathed heavily, taking another sip. "You… were right… This does… grant me some knowledge…"

She took another long drink this time, finished it with a smile. "I thank you Sena Ikari."

* * *

The day flew by quickly as everyone was ready for Golden Week to begin. Girls were chatting about what swimsuits they found at the store for their trips, while a few guys were trying to figure out the best place to go to see the hottest girls. Talk of dates from couples, adventures with friends, and a myriad of other happenings, made it seem like just another year of school.

No one would expect that a giant monster nearly destroyed the city not but a few weeks ago. Everyone seemed… normal. Everything seemed… normal.

To the chosen children who participated in the deadly battle with the creature however, it was a strange and unfamiliar bliss of quiet.

The last period before Golden Week began, Mr. Katsuragi just told everyone to stay in the classroom until the last bell rang. No homework or anything. The entire class thanked him, and began again about all of their plans. Sena and her group, now including Nami sat around each other, talking as well.

"Strange…" Reiji said quietly at first. "This all feels very strange."

"Yeah… Everyone's so… so…" Sena looked for an adequate word. Kaoru came to her aid with a few suitable suggestions.

"Carefree? Happy? Lighthearted?" She said, twirling her hair around her finger.

"…Yeah… it's like… none of that stuff happened… did everyone already forget about that… That..."

"The Angel?" Nami asked suddenly. The others gave a little gasp at her sudden voice, but all nodded.

"I heard it was terrible," She began, looking around at their reactions. "It came down from the sky, and began its assault on everyone. The stories are terrifying."

"Well, Akihiko got ahead of himself and punched it before it got to do anything once it landed, but it did start after that," Kaoru said, giving him a glare. "What the hell were you thinking anyway? We had no idea what that thing was."

"Well it was really scary okay? I haven't changed much, but I was a different person back then. Honestly I just wanted to show you guys how tough I was." He said as he looked out the window.

"You punched it while it didn't notice you. Cowardly." Reiji said before sighing.

"The last thing I would have expected was ridicule from you. Look… I'm sorry. If anything ever comes again, I'll be better about it. No movement or fighting until HQ gives the go ahead. Promise." He said with a sad smile. Sena reciprocated and nodded to agree to the promise.

 _Heartless cowards ._ Nami thought, _All these Lilin, are heartless cowards. The red headed one didn't even allow Barachiel to speak or even give them a chance at peace. He immediately laid an attack out. And he feels… he…_

"Wait…" Nami said, "You are… sorry for doing such a thing Akihiko? But… you were defending yourself."

"Yeah but that thing didn't do anything. It just… came down. I decided to do that all on my own… no one told me too…" He let out a sigh before continuing. "I shouldn't have. Who knows what that thing was going to do? I got scared, anxious. It didn't look too intimidating at first, but then it fired that lightning."

 _Barachiel was known to retaliate quite quickly, and that lightning would have only dazed an angel a moment. These Lilin could have died from such a thing. He must have taken this quite a lot farther. His pride must have been hurt pretty badly._ Nami thought, as she listened.

"What's done is done. It can't be helped," Kaoru said, as Reiji nodded to agree. "Maybe the next one will be different ya know?"

"Yeah. Maybe we'll be able to talk to the next one. That would be a lot better than fighting." Sena said, before starting to get her things together.

It took Nami by surprise, hearing the words that she assumed were in the heart of this pure girl she had befriended. She felt the same warmth she had last night during the party, and with the chocolate beverage. She felt that these Lilin, these people, were not bad. When driven into a corner, anything would fight for its life, and from what she had learned, that was what they believed was happening. They were in a fight for their life with these angels. These people, while not all kind and good, had the capacity for it, and the free will to do so. She believed they were worth saving and keeping around. That was her answer to the Council.

The final school bell rang loudly, announcing the start of Golden Week soon after their conversation ended.

The answer to the Council could wait; now was the time to start their vacation!

"ALRIGHT!" Karou and Akihiko exclaimed, "Time for GOLDEN WEEK!"

Every student rushed out of the doors and out of the school, many leaving their shoes strewn about to leave as quickly as possible. Kaoru, Akihiko, Reiji, Sena, and Nami left the school front slowly, and talked of all of their plans now. "Oh!" Sena said, before turning to them all, "Did you guys get swim suits?"

The next day, everyone was to meet by Sena's house. They were not going far, but it was still easier to meet in a place everyone was familiar with and then head to the beach from there.

* * *

Sena adjusted her swimsuit in the mirror before looking out the door. It was a white bikini with horizontal aqua colored stripes. Sena had found it a few days ago and though that she looked cute in it, but now she was having second thoughts. "Why'd I talk myself into buying this?" She said, adjusting her top again, "There's no way it fit better at the store than now right? I… I didn't grow that much did I?"

A knock at the door shook her monologue. _No turning back now…_ She thought, before opening it. Kaoru stood with her bag at the ready and a shawl draped over her to cover herself before and after the trip. Her suit was a brilliant white bikini, with a white frilly skirt around the bottom. She gave a little hot as Sena opened the door. "Hey! Beach time! Everyone's here, so let's get going!"

"R-right." Sena said, admiring the bodies of those around her. While her's was by no means featureless, Kaoru's bust filled out her outfit better than hers, and the skirt left much to the imagination. The boys looked good in their suits as well, but they were not nearly as detailed as theirs. Akihiko wore black and red shorts with a multitude of pockets, while Reiji wore simple black and blue ones. However, the definition and tone of their bodies were… drawing Sena in. She shook herself out of her stupor, and looked to the rear of the group, where Nami was waiting. "Hey! I'm glad you made it!" Sena said before getting a full view of her.

Her swimsuit was a bikini as well, that was white on top by her shoulders, but ran down to a deep blue for the bottoms, along with a side tied cloth to cover her legs with the same motif, as well as a shawl with the same design. It was gorgeous on her to say the least. Sena gave a little blush as she got her bag on her shoulders. "Wow Nami… that… swimsuit looks good on you." She said with a blush. Nami greeted her with a smile, and a nod. "Thank you Sena. I found it a few days ago. Now… shall we all be off?"

With a resounding yes from the group, off they walked. The journey only took about fifteen minutes, but they were soon met with a wide open beach with only a few people swimming and sunbathing. A few shops stood ready for the Golden Week rush on the sidewalks and in the beach itself. Sena's group had just arrived before ten.

"We beat the crowd! Let's get a spot and jump in!" Kaoru said, holding a beach umbrella up and twirling it around.

"She's so energetic. I don't see where she gets the energy," Sena said with a sigh. The others simply meandered to the spot she had picked, and began setting up. The weather was beautiful, and the sounds of the sea were still amazing to behold. Sena walk out into the crashing waves so the water just barely got to her ankles. It was cold, but with the sun beating down, the feeling was amazing. With each crash of the waves, Sena felt entranced by the oceans sounds. She had come numerous times to do the same thing, but this time… something felt different. Not outside, but inside herself. She felt happy, and the sea compounded it and made it a greater feeling. She looked back to her friends, and they were on their way as well. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt this good.

She turned and walked farther in as their footsteps grew louder behind her. Akihiko blasted into the water and splashed about, while Reiji cut through it with his swift swimming moves. Nami and Kaoru had a beach ball ready and tossed it towards Sena, with a jump and a swift hit, she sent it back to them. _I can't believe… I've went without this for so long._ Sena thought to herself. _I… want to do this every Golden Week!_

Akihiko lay on his back, taking breath after breath beside Reiji, doing the same. "Why… are we so tired… after… swimming… for like ten… minutes?"

The beach was beginning to fill up now. It had been much longer than ten minutes, but with how hot the sun was, and none of them keeping up with their phones, they didn't know that it was almost noon. Family, groups of friends, and the occasional lifeguard wandered around them as they sat to catch their breath.

"It really is… like that attack never happened huh?" He said, before looking over at Reiji. He merely nodded, continuing to control his breathing. "What… do we do now?"

"Well… We can go back out there. We can always talk with them while swimming around. And playing with the beach ball has other uses." He said, raising his eyebrows a few times.

"What do you mean?" Reiji said with his same dead expression.

"What do you mean 'what do I mean?' Honestly, do you ever think about them as… anything else? Any of them? I mean… Kaoru for you I understand, but the other two you can gaze at and think about all you want right?" He said, moving in a bit closer so his words wouldn't be heard.

"Look at them man! I mean gods! Kaoru's got T n' A to spare with her outfit, and that little skirt thing on it just has to get in the way! Each jump and bounce just leaves me a lot of images. And Nami; that little ice queen's got quite the bod too. She's hiding most of it, but underneath all that is a pristine slender frame with features that would catch anyone's eye. And then there's…"

He trailed off as they both looked onto the scene before them. Sena jumped into the air, arching her back to hit the beach ball back down to the others. The sun shone down on her brilliantly, letting the water that stuck to her glisten and sparkle as her bathing suit barely held on to the contents that they held. The soft curvature of her body and the movements they made. They were enraptured.

"Well I mean Sena's nothing special," Akihiko said, standing up and moving to the water. "I mean, she's pretty slender and has some features, but I mean… who'd want to… Want to… date her… Right Reiji?" He said, looking back. Reiji was already up off of his beach towel and back in the water, hitting the beach ball next to Sena, his eyes glancing every so often to the spectacle beside him.

"You damn bastard… I'll get you for this!" Akihiko said, before a ball of wet sand came careening to him from a few local kids walking on their way back to their parents.

The day ended much like how it began. The tired troupe of friends made their way back to Sena's house, exhausted and full from beachside food shops. "So… we are going… to the mall tomorrow? Right?" Kaoru asked, breathing heavily from all the exercise and heat of the day.

"Yeah I think that's next. We're meeting at the station right?" Nami said, in a very plain manner.

The group looked at her dumbfounded. "What was that?" Akihiko asked. "Did I just hear you sound… normal?" He let out a laugh. "Normally you have your speech filled a little with more 'proper' words. Looks like we're rubbing off on you." He gave her a wide smile.

She did the same, but had a noticeable blush stretched across her face. _What is this feeling? And… why am I feeling it when he looked at me just now?_ "Well… of course! Wouldn't I want to be a little less formal with my… friends?"

Another small round of laughter followed before Sena saw everyone off from her house, exhausted from the day and all the fun they had.

* * *

With the shopping trip and the movie marathon passing quickly, it was time for the trip that Sena was excited for most. She had never really been able to go to the shrines farther outside of town, and she had heard that there was a Shinto shrine only a few minutes by train away from them that was gorgeous almost year round, but Golden Week was something special for the shrine.

The Akasaka Hikawa shrine has many visitors, and many of them happen during Golden Week for the reason of the ringing of the bell. Sena had never gotten to do such a thing, and now, that she had a bit more freedom, she had decided to at least ring it on their visit, regardless of what she prayed for.

"Wait so you really just want to ring the big bell? That's all? Won't the gods get kind of mad at that?" Akihiko said, with several nods coming from Reiji.

"I think they'll understand. I bet others have done it before too." She said confidently.

As they arrived, it was a short walk to the entrance, where they were captivated by the greenery and stone work. All along the path, the gentle smell of the trees sent waves of calm through them. Each step felt like a moment in time that should be treasured and cherished. The bridge, the small prayer gardens, everything felt beautiful and wonderful. No one spoke a word as they made their way through the gates to the shrine proper.

 _These past few days…_ Nami thought, _Have been… incredible. I would never have guessed that this place would have such a rich culture and such a bizarre idea of the heavens. But… while strange… I don't wholly disagree. I mean… I command hail and 'spellbinding' which no one has tried to use in forever. But still… I command that. The Most High gave me command over it. Doesn't that make me a god of it? While this god may have a different name, would I know them? Or are they… somehow different?_

The stairs up to the shrine were steep and many, but once at the top, they all gasped at what they saw. Only a few visitors were there, but the scenery was breathtaking. The grove of the shrine was cut well and the fragrant smell of the flowers blew through the area, leaving a soft scent and a sense of peace and happiness. The Sha-Den, where the bell was kept, had a shine employee next to it, waiting for those who wanted to speak to the god enshrined there. Without thinking, they all moved together as one, their own wishes and prayers on their mind as they all asked for their turn.

Nami and Sena were the only two to actually write a prayer onto paper, but the others still wished to participate with their prayers to the god there. And so they began.

Akihiko approached first, his hands firmly on the rope to the bell. With closed eyes, and a steady breath, he prayed.

 _What is it that I need to do god? There's… so much that I don't understand about all this. I want to protect, and I want to believe that I can protect all these people that I call friends. Please, lead me on the path that I need to be on so that I may better myself, and protect those close to me. I… I don't want to be alone ever again._

With his prayer complete, he let the rope go, as a soft and deep noise from the bell reverberated throughout the grounds. Once it stopped, Reiji was next.

 _I want to protect Sena. If there is anything I can do for her. I will do it._

Not but a few moments after he grabbed the rope, it was away and swinging to the bell. Another long sound later, and Kaoru was next.

 _How many of you are there now? Anpiel? Are you there? I know you guys have been hiding for a while?_

A small silence happened, and the wind seemed to stop.

"Good you are still here."

Behind Kaoru, a man with wings appeared behind her. Black wings the color of night wrapped around him like a cape. His legs ended in raptor like talons, and his hair appeared to be feather light and a wispy black as well. "Why are you here Tabris? Shouldn't you be back on the moon?"

"Hey hey there bud. Long time no see. No no… I struck a little deal with those weirdos who were 'taking care' of me. How's it been here? You guys still hiding out alright? Who else is here?" She said, a smirk coming up on her face.

He gave her a smile before letting himself relax a little, "There are thirteen of us. The last one wouldn't have gotten here if it wasn't for you. You should know that."

"Well tricking Jophiel is easier than you guys think. He's strong yeah, but when it comes to sense he's missing a lot." She said with a smile before a silence fell between them. "So… you all are watching over the shrine here?"

"All across Japan actually. I was close by. How did you know?"

Kaoru pointed upwards to the roof. A few nests made of straw rested on the rafters. Some were holding a bird or two. "This many ravens here could only mean either you got them a place to rest, or the caretaker of the shrine died and no one else was hired."

"Ah… Should have known someone would catch on to that… but… no one ever looks up do they?" He said, before they both let out a little laugh. "What do I owe the pleasure of you coming here?"

"These people here wanted to come and visit. That one there," She said, pointing to Sena, "Is kind of special to me. Could you, I dunno, maybe work your magic to make what she wishes for happen?"

He fluttered his wings slightly. "You want us to… grant this girls prayer? Are you serious? While the angels here are capable, do you know what that could do? What if she asks for… one hundred million yen? We can do it, but how could she explain that? Or if she asks for someone to be brought back to life? We can't do that stuff. You know that."

"She won't ask for that." Kaoru said with a stern gaze. "She's the one I've told you about before. She's just like before. Each time… they are hard to find, but this one… while just like the others… feels different. I… I feel different about her. It's much stronger. That pull…" Kaoru sighed. "They say here on earth that what I'm feeling is emotions not from the brain, but from the heart. Love or… something close to it. I don't know if that's it, but if it is…" She scoffed a little. "Anyway… Enough about that. If she does ask for something outlandish, I'll understand. If it isn't too much trouble, could you?"

Anpiel turned around, and looked to the girl in question. To him, she was just another Lilin. A piece of the greater whole of one of the largest group of beings on the planet known as humans. Nothing was truly special about them. They all had their own ambitions about the short life they had on the planet. Some wanted fame from others, money to buy worldly things, others worshipped them and other gods, or The Most High, and bargained for things with him and the gods. They were all the same. Some started later than others, but none were… wholly and totally kind in their lives. Always, there was something in it for them.

"I'll hear her prayer. I will make my decision from there." He said, resting his hand on his forehead. "You sure do like stirring things up each cycle."

"What can I say?" Kaoru said with a smile. "I like having fun. And so far, this is the most fun I have had in a long while. I'll talk to you later if you want. And thank you Anpiel."

He gave a small nod before disappearing in a swirl of wind as time began again. The gong of the bell sounded as Kaoru wandered back to her spot, letting the next person go.

Nami came forth, unsure of what to do, before the shrine worker came by to help her. The rope was large and heavy, but she managed to keep a grip on it. Once she settled down, and let her breathing calm, she felt as if something was watching her, and something was listening, she could feel it. A presence that was otherworldly, much like…

 _If you are an angel, please… I only have a few questions. I am here to see if these Lilin are worthy of being… saved. It seems then Angels of Heaven don't want them around anymore. We sent a messenger down to… well just to talk to them and he was killed… I am here to evaluate them. This group of people… in fact many in this town… they've shown me just how wonderful this place is. There are some bad ones, but there are many good ones as well. I want to say that they should be saved, and simply looked after… but I am unsure still… do you have any insight? And if you don't… could you tell me about your experiences on this earth?_

She thought for a moment longer, searching for more questions.

 _Also… why are you here? And what is your favorite thing about this earth? To me… I like these… emotions that they feel… Each one… it has its own feeling. There are a thousand different types of anger, and hundreds of thousands of different ways to be excited and joyful. It's an amazing feeling to experience them, and… I just don't want these feelings to end… Please… give me some answers… I want to keep these feelings forever… I don't want to go back up there with everyone else…. Please…_

Before Nami lifted the rope and began to swing it downward, she felt a presence speak to her.

 _These Lilin… There are many. And as you said, many of them lean both ways of good and evil. What insight I can give you is of the people around here… and I believe you know the answer within yourself already. You can save them… The experiences we have had here have not always been good. Many people hurt in this world, but many help those that hurt as well. It's a double edged sword, these Lilin's behavior. However, it is a wonderful experience regardless. It is a strange feeling. The hurt, pain, any suffering you may have, with even the slightest gesture of kindness, everything changes. If you wish to keep those feelings, we can help. When you make this decision, come to us back at this shrine, or we will find you. Do not be afraid of those above. There are ways to avoid the ruffians above. You can stay and be free…_

She let go of the rope after this, and the bell let out a resounding noise that seemed to shake the ground below. Even the other seemed to lose their balance a bit. She walked back to her spot, bowing slightly to the employee in charge as a sign of apology for the noise she made. Finally…. Sena was last.

Hands clenched around the rope, Sena took in a deep breath, and exhaled slowly. She felt ears listening, and eyes watching. She felt as if the gods must be awaiting her prayers.

 _Gods, there is so much I want to tell you about. These people I am with… they are all so wonderful and amazing. Thank you for… keeping them close. They all treat me so wonderfully. I couldn't ask for a better group of friends. Could you do something for them? Make this day better, make tomorrow better, or make something in there lives go well for them? I can't do much besides encourage them and hope that they stay my friends. They deserve a much better friend than me, but if you can, please help them have better days. And help my father possibly be less stressed and obsessed with work. I would like to see him again, under a different light than what he is now. And my teacher, Mr. Katsuragi, and Mr. Ritsuo, and…_

The list didn't stop. Each and every one didn't involve her. She was a link in the chain to all of these bigger things around her she thought. She didn't want anything special. She didn't want money, power, fame, or the world in her hand…

 _I just want everyone to be happy…_

She let go of the rope and let is swing into the bell. It rang loudly and she made her way back to her group, where they all closed their eyes and gave a collective prayer before giving a bow. Their trip to the shrine was done, and now, it was time to return.

* * *

The trip to the onsen was not very far, so the gang met up at Sena's before their departure to sit wait a while. Sena was overjoyed, but the others seemed to be losing their strength. As they began to watch a movie to help the time pass by and Sena brought snacks over, the mumbling and talks began. Reiji, to everyone's surprise, was the first to speak up.

"This Onsen…" Reiji said, with a heavy sigh, "better be worth it."

The others sighed to agree or nodded as the movie started. "Which one are we going to again?" Akihiko asked.

"You were the one so jazzed about this… don't you know?" Kaoru retorted. He shrugged in response. "Unbelievable."

"We're going to Kodai no Yu. It is a little ways away, but we'll get to stay there as long as we want." Sena said, plopping down on the sofa next to the other girls. As the movie rolled, time passed quickly, and before they knew it, they were on the bus to the Onsen by two in the afternoon.

"I've never been to an Onsen before. How… what are we to do there? I know it is a bath house, but aside from that… I'm quite clueless." Nami said, talking with Kaoru and Sena. As the bus rocked along with its noisy contents, the scenery flew by them. Akihiko and Reiji were sleeping with headphones on, drooling as the vibrations rocked them both to sleep.

"It has open and closed air baths, small shops for food, drink, and small team games. Some rooms even come with board games and video games." Kaoru began explaining. "It's normally a big tourist destination because it's 'Japanese tradition,' but even normal people go here to unwind at times. The waters in the bath have benefits for your skin and health too, so visiting them once in a while isn't a bad idea. That and it gives us all a chance to unwind after this long week, and lets us talk without having to be so on guard."

It sounded like a fun adventure, and something that everyone would enjoy. Everyone smiled when they talked about it and seemed so relieved once they pulled up to the entrance. Why did Nami feel so nervous?

Baggage was unloaded; check-in completed. The girls locked themselves in their room while the boys did the same. In no time at all, both groups were stripped and back in the hall wearing their yukata. "It's said girls first when we came in nitwits. So we got the bath for at least a few hours. Go play ping pong or something. We're going to go relax and then bathe on the next round. After that, we'll be playing games in our room. Game plan set?" Kaoru said, huddling up with the boys.

"Set." They both said in unison.

"Alright! Let's go! BREAK!" She said with a clap, as the boys did the same. Once Sena and Nami stopped laughing at the spectacle, they all went to the changing area for the open air bath. With towels on and the warm steam surrounding them, they entered the bath. As they stepped in, the warmth went through them. They dropped in suddenly, and it enveloped them all. "This…" Nami said, trying to catch her breath, "I've never felt… something so good… What… what's in this water?"

"It's supposed to have minerals and stuff that help your skin. Aside from that, the temperature eases all the pain and stuff from sore muscles. I think that's what you are feeling Nami….. Nami?" Kaoru said, before she saw Nami sink under the water a moment. "Hey idiot! Don't do that! You'll hurt yourself!"

Time seemed to drift in the Golden Week wind as they sat in the calming waters of the hot spring bath. Nothing could ever feel as good as this, they all thought. Their bodies felt weightless, and they could feel as if the impurities, toxins, and soreness from the past days evaporate off of them. As the time passed, the others in the bath exited. Soon, it would be time for the boys to enter and they had to leave. At twenty minutes until they needed to leave, they were the only ones in the bath.

"Well… now that we are alone… I think it's time that we do what we came here to do." Kaoru said, with a mischievous grin.

Sena gave a sigh, but nodded. "Alright… Secrets right? We each have to say a secret that we haven't told anyone…"

Kaoru nodded vigorously. She looked at her two friends; one of which she already knew many secrets from. Nami shuddered at the gaze she was given, and looked away. What secrets could she come up with? She didn't want to betray their trust. Kaoru already knew she was an Angel… but how could she say something like that to Sena? Could she truly trust her to… still act the same after what she had heard happened between them and Barachiel? Telling her all of the plans for heaven would be… terrifying to think of… What would be a good secret? _Isn't there anything I can say?_

"I'll go first if you want." Kaoru said confidently.

"Go ahead. I didn't even know you had secrets at all." Sena said with a giggle.

"Harsh words! I do keep my mouth shut sometimes." She huffed, but soon began.

"When I first came to Japan, it wasn't the best of places. I can't really remember what prefecture I was in, but I just remember walking down the street one day with one of my friends and these guys cut through us. The apologized, but something felt strange. It was like they were doing it on purpose, like there was a bigger motive to what they did. My friend and I felt so scared, that we went to the police even… but…"

She looked away a moment before continuing. "They didn't care. They thought we were just being dumb little girls. So we went home… that's all we could do really…"

Kaoru fell silent a moment. Remembering the scene like it had just happened. The island she was on was not a good place to be. During the Edo Period, the island of Hachijo was a place of exile for criminals. While many men populated the island, some women seen unfit for criminal punishment were sent to the island to appease the men. Her friend was one of the many children born from this. While the police of the island were in fact police, they let the criminals did almost anything on the island. Some made shops, built homes, while others kept to their ways and stole, murdered, and destroyed property. It was a terrifying place. But Kaoru couldn't leave. She was over the island as a guardian for the time, being appointed there by none other than Jophiel. She couldn't abandon her job, and she didn't want to leave her friend behind. But she also could not interfere unless it would mean the island would be devoid of all life…

"The next day, I went to my friend's house. We were going to go play in the river a bit out of town."

 _I went to her shack. Her mother was already 'working.' She never knew her father. The river was safer than the village._

"I knocked on her door but she never came out. I even went and asked the neighbors."

 _She said she would meet me in the street. I went to the others around her shack. They used to 'have fun' with her when they wanted. I went inside the shack and… and…_

"After a while, I tried going inside… the door was unlocked… She… She was dead… She had been killed."

 _Inside… her body was mutilated beyond what a simple murder would be. This person… destroyed her. The only way I recognized her was the tattered dress she wore. Or had worn._

Kaoru's eyes began to tear up. "The police came… and identified who it was, and took to the investigation. They caught the guy and he was punished… but… still… I was the first one to see her… her parents were out at work…"

 _I ran. I ran to the police, brought them, and waited to see what they said. 'Good riddance,' 'dumb bitch,' 'useless garbage,' was all they called her and me. They at least gathered her remains, and buried them a little ways away. I waited for her mom to come back… to tell her to see if she would care then… she was drunk and hardly walking. Her clients that day had been rough with her. She came through the shack door, and didn't even notice the smell or the blood. It was like… nothing had happened at all. Just another day… The police didn't try to catch who did it. Everyone on the island was a criminal. It could be anyone. Why catch a criminal for a crime when he is just going to do it again and be sent there to the island?_

"It… was… The scariest thing I have ever been through… and that… is my secret." She said, finished with her tale. Her mind now raced with everything she had done to that island and its evil inhabitants.

Sena and Nami both leapt for Kaoru, hugging her. "I'm sorry Kaoru! I didn't know you had to go through so much when you first came to Japan!" Sena said, tears in her eyes. "What a dreadful secret you had to keep! I am sorry Kaoru!" Nami exclaimed as snot rolled down her nose. The sight was soothing to Kaoru. Here, right now, there were many people that cared about her. The world had changed much since then. There was even another Angel here who was becoming even more human than herself. It might be the perfect time to give her plan a shot, and she was going to do it. "Well that's my secret! One of you has to go now!"

"Well… mines nothing that terrifying or shocking… but… My mom died when I was really young. I had always been really close with her…" Sena said, shifting around the bath. "I can't really say much except… well she looked a lot like me. She was a scientist. She helped my father with a lot of things, but neither of them saw what had happened coming. Mom went through a weird experiment. She volunteered for it even… " Sena stopped for a minute, trying to remember everything. "She screamed when it happened… and she just… disappeared. I didn't really see what happened but… It was terrifying."

Sena somehow followed up with a smile. "That's my secret though. My mom may be gone, but the reason for it is still a mystery to me. That experiment… I've never asked about it or tried to figure it out…"

There was silence for a long while as the other two girls tried to gather their thoughts. Kaoru looked to Sena and patted her back. "I'm sorry Sena… it's just a lot to take in… It was your mom. I'm sorry…"

"It's alright," She replied, "She was doing it for her research. From how she sounded, she was more than sure of what she was doing. I wish I knew what happened… but I can't just ask dad something like that…"

The other girls nodded, before Sena and Kaoru looked to Nami. She shuddered a little and drew back a bit. "Well Nami, go ahead. It's your turn isn't it?" Kaoru said, moving to her right side, scooting her over to Sena's right. "Yeah Nami. We already said our secrets. It's your turn now!" Sena said, nudging her a little with a smile.

 _I can't tell them I'm an angel! Kaoru already knows, but how would Sena take the news? She wouldn't trust me… She wouldn't want to be around me… She… she might try to kill me… But what else can I say? My chest hurts… I can't think of anything else… Should I… Should I just…_

 _Spit it out already!_

"Spit it out already!" Kaoru said.

"I'm…. I'm an angel… just like… that thing you all took down." Nami said finally… as her and the other girl's jaws dropped.

"What... did you... just say?" Sena said, her eyes wide with a mix of emotions.

Nami looked to them both, fear in her eyes. _What... what did I just do? What... should I do now!?_


	9. Chapter 8

The bath was silent except for the falling water that rotated through the pool. Steam hung in the air as the girls sat in the awkward and terrified silence. Each of them held fear in their hearts for different reasons.

 _What… what the hell did I just say?!_ Nami said, fidgeting in the bath. The heat was getting to her but she had to endure it. She didn't know when they were getting out. Sena and Kaoru sat there with their heads down, their own minds racing as to what to do. Nami was hesitant, but she needed some respite from the heat… "I… I'm going to get out… I… Don't feel… well…" She said, pausing every so often as the air hit her body. Shaking and unsteady, she wobbled back and forth as she put one foot out of the water, and as she raised herself up…

Her foot flew out from underneath her, and in midair, she felt the breeze embrace her a moment. The strange cold of a nighttime summer breeze enveloped her, and made her gasp a moment, before feeling the soft embrace of another below her. Back in the water, she opened her eyes, to see Sena and Kaoru over her, concerned and shocked.

"Nami are you alright!? Are you hurt?" They said, over and over, before Nami felt herself slip away with the warm heat of flesh against her, and the embrace of cloth over her skin. She drifted out of consciousness as her mind wandered in its dream-like state.

She sat in a light white dress at what appeared to be a bus station. Before her, a field of white and blue flowers stretched seemingly endlessly. It was beautiful. Everywhere she looked, it was the epitome of tranquility and beauty. All but one spot. One single spot, just off center of her view; there stood a very small patch of somewhat wilted black flowers. The contrast was nice, but they looked… bad…

"Do you want to get rid of them?"

A voice said in the expanse of the bus stop. It was strange. It was a familiar voice, but not something she recognized. It somehow felt authoritative, but warm and kind as well.

"To get rid of them, the entire field must be burned. Those black ones are connected to them all. If you take them away, they will all die as well."

"Then of course not. One spot out of all these flowers? That is perfectly fine." She said with a smile, getting up and walking to the rolling waves of flowers. The smell was sweet and light, and brought a nice smile to her face.

Nami looked back at the bus stop. There were many different cloaked figures sitting there. Where they the ones speaking to her? Some were covered in black, while others wore blue and some red. There were some, maybe one or two, that wore white however.

"What? What does this mean?" She asked, before turning back to the flowers.

"They are your kin. In the heavens, awaiting your response. Those in red, want nothing but to destroy the world, the ones in blue wish to observe the Lilin, and see how they respond to certain stimuli, the ones in black wish to wipe humanity away and start anew, and the ones in white…" the voice paused, "They are much like you."

"There are… people who support those down here?" She said, amazed. She thought she was almost all alone in the regard. So there were some above that truly wished for them to keep existing as they had been. It amazed her. She couldn't wait to give them the answer then. She would do everything she could to protect those on this planet. She loved everything here so much…

"Thank you. Whatever this was, thank you. I needed this to help me… get through to my answer for them. Thank you!" She said, running through the field, letting the smell waft around her as she watched the sea of flowers roll around her. "I will protect them!" She said as loud as she could. And she said it again, and again and again.

* * *

The air in the room was stagnant. No talk, no movement, just stares. To the ground, to Nami lying on the mats, to the window of the room… They stared off, lost in thought.

 _"Why'd she do that?"_ Kaoru thought to herself, _"Why'd she do something so stupid? I mean, mine was real. All that shit happened… long ago though… Jesus… Why'd she have to blurt something like that out? Now she's going to need to do damage control once she wakes up, and then… Shit… she better not try to oust me to Sena! That'd ruin this whole plan! I'll have to ask the questions… and help a little with the answers."_ She looked over to Sena, who was concentrating hard on her friend that had moments ago revealed herself as an enemy.

"Kaoru," She said, looking slowly over to her. "What… what happened? Do you think… She was playing a joke on us?"

She spoke with a voice that was deadly serious, as well as with a look that was not ready for joking answers. Did she feel betrayed? Lost?

Kaoru let out a sigh before shrugging. "The best thing we can do is help her wake up and then ask her. But if she were, why would she tell us? And why did she wait so long to come and make contact with us?" She said, asking the questions she mostly knew the answers to already. "All we can do is wait and see what she says later."

"Do you… Trust her?"

"Not in the slightest now. I had for a moment, but not anymore."

"Why did she… How did that huge thing that we fought before…" Sena said, looking down to Nami, "Become a girl? There's… no way…"

"Maybe there are different types of Angels. Maybe there are some that are mountain sized, human sized, and smaller. We just don't know yet…"

Sena let out another sigh before pulling her knees up to her chest and rested her forehead on them. "I hope she wakes up soon. I'm kind of—"

"I will protect them!" Nami yelled, raising her hands up in the air as she sat up.

The sight was a strange one, and one that couldn't help but get to the duo that had been sitting and conversing. Laughter erupted slowly, at first with held back snickers, and then soft giggles, and then hard open mouthed laughter. Soon, it caught on to Nami, as they three were laughing hysterically for what felt like an eternity. As they lay on their backs gasping for air, Sena rolled over and faced the two.

"Well Nami, you have some explaining to do," She said with a smile. "Do you think you can tell us what that secret was all about?"

With a soft sigh, Nami flipped over and returned the smile as well. "Of course. I'm not going to keep anything from you guys anymore." She took a deep breath and began with a few sentences that summarized it somewhat. "I am the Angel Nuriel, and I am an angel over hailstorms, ice, and magic of all things! I was sent here to observe the people here and make a decision on what to do next; either save you all and keep you on the planet, or more angels will come and try to wipe you guys out!"

* * *

It was a strange feeling. Men of all ages and sizes sat around in the bath, walked around, and talked as if this were a normal endeavor of everyday life. Talk of sports teams and great plays, beautiful women and great lays, insane sightings and unbelievable ideas… Everything that had been happening in the past few months accumulated in the bath at this time, and none were more disinterested in it than Akihiko and Reiji, who sat far away from the rest of the group of me by themselves.

"Dammit. This is gross. After swimming with them at the beach, this is just fucking stupid," Akihiko said, fuming with anger. "I heard this one had at least one time of the day where mixed bathing was a thing. I mean… if they didn't want to fine, at least we could have seen something… but…" He let out a sigh, and let himself relax and sink into the water for a moment.

Reiji did the same, sinking down and blowing bubbles with his mouth for a while. The noise from the other men became louder and louder. It sounded as if a stampede of livestock was going through the bathhouse once they left as well. Soon, it was just them.

"Finally. You ready to head out? While this wasn't the best, we'll have another chance to get in later. Hopefully there will be less people here," He scoffed. "Although, with this being the last day of Golden Week, it may be kind of busy still. Let's… let's just dry off and go to the girl's room. They said we would be playing some games right?"

Reiji nodded for a moment, then rose up. "They said they were soaking on the first one, then bathing on the next round. So… after this next one… yes…"

"Let's just head there now. We can at least talk a little before they go. You want to too right?" He said, getting up and grabbing his towel.

With a soft nod, Reiji did the same. They dried off, and exited. "Still, something feels off." Akihiko said as he dressed. "It's like… I dunno… the air feels heavier…"

"Steam must be… getting to you?" Reiji said, poking fun at him.

"Hey I'm not that weak. You take that back!"

* * *

Explanation done, and a heavy sigh from Nami afterwards, she was now laying on her stomach, her legs kicking behind her. A giant weight felt lifted from her shoulders. She felt as if she were truly enjoying herself now.

"Wow so… You were just sent here to observe and make a decision? That's…. and all those angels… some of them sound… terrifying…" Sena said, shivering somewhat from the story.

"I know right? I can't really remember but… I told you about Chayyliel right? He was always the one that creeped me out the most." Nami said, a look of dread on her face. "One minute, he's talking to you by the halls, and then you walk a few feet in the opposite direction he was going and you see him again. He has like a million… what's the word? Clones? Yeah… a bunch of him's. Creepy."

Kaoru and Sena continued to talk to her, but noticed something much different now. The façade down, and the guise taken away, Nami was just another girl. She had responsibilities, a family, people she liked and disliked, fears, ambitions, a job, a house…

She was simply another person from a world they did not know of.

"It's insane to think that there is a whole other world up there." Sena said with a smile. "It makes me kind of excited honestly. Like… what are they all like? I mean, it doesn't sound like everyone is like you Nami."

"It's the same as here. I mean, you, Kaoru and the boys aren't the same, and neither are your classmates. You are all humans. And we are all angels. That's it really." She replied, giving Kaoru a little wink.

 _Thank god. She's keeping quiet about it._ Kaoru thought to herself, an even greater weight off of her shoulders now. _I was afraid I was going to have to confront her about it… No one wants a reset this soon…_

A knock came at the door shortly after, as the boys let themselves in without any warning. "Sup ladies? We were pretty bored and—"

"OUT NOW!" They all said in unison, as they launched their pillows to the door. Akihiko took one to the face, but closed the door just in time for the others to miss.

"Smooth," Reiji said, standing next to him.

"Shut it. Guess we'll go back to our room and wait till they are done. Or… wait… I think there is a game room here right?"

Reiji nodded and simply began walking that way, with Akihiko trailing behind, asking him to slow down.

* * *

The council had met at the designated time as always, and sure enough, still not an answer. "What is Nuriel doing?!" Jophiel said, stamping the staff it wielded on the floor. A booming and thunderous sound radiated from the Halls, and all knew what would come next. The decree from the Heavens as to what would become of the Lilin on Earth.

"Councilmen and citizens in these Halls! I decree, as Jophiel under the Most High and to all those in these heavens and to the Earth itself, the Lilin have proven themselves to be the filth that is destroying the Earth below! We, as the protectors of the heavens and their well-being, they have strayed far from the path we have given them. Lilith, still being with them, and being the one who made them, is a captive to their doings. Our mission now, is to retrieve her, or at least make contact with her, and to destroy the world so that we may begin a new!"

A decree resounded across the heavens. Every angel there and all of them on Earth heard it. Below the crust and rock, even in the core of the Earth, the sound penetrated, and awoke a vile creature. Something that few could comprehend, and still fewer could believe.

"The time has come," It told itself, as it made its way off of its seat. "It is time to give those Lilin what they deserve. Judgement. They were given the truth… and they threw it away for their own ideals. They will taste the lapping tongues of the fires of hell."

* * *

The phone stopped them. He'd forgotten to silence it. It happened more often than not. It wasn't something he could easily do. After all, he was the commander of NERV under Gendo. He couldn't betray that trust.

The woman wrapped the sheets around her naked frame and gave a heavy sigh. She had short deep brown hair and softly tanned skin that spoke of her sun kissed rides to and from work. She was nearly blemishless, and was a beautiful person to behold and be around. A soothing and mature voice for such a slender woman was something unheard of, and alluring in its own right, but the sway of her hips and the words she sent upon the ears, the promises, ambitions, and ideals she spoke of; what man could resist such temptations?

"It's always like this. I don't even know why I bother sometimes. That other girlfriend named Gendo must keep you pretty busy." She said, poking fun at Makito, and physically poking him as well with her foot. She grabbed a cigarette from his pack and lit it as he answered the phone.

"Give me a second Kari, you know how this is…" He said, standing up and flipping it open. "Katsuragi here. Yeah… Uh huh…. What? Under us?" Silence followed for a moment before he picked up the conversation. "How long do we have by its movements? A week? You want to get those kids ready with the provisional units in a week? You are fucking crazy. We'll do it. I'll contact those brats and contact my class." He let out a sigh, before finishing the call. "Get some rest Ritsuo. It sounds like you've been up for the past few days. See ya later."

"Sounds like you are going to have your hands full. No wonder you were so eager to get me home tonight," She said, puffing smoke upwards.

"Did you not want to come?" He said, getting his own cigarette.

"I didn't mind. I mean, I'm here for my own reasons too. Tokyo-3 that is. I got a job not long ago." She said with a smile, before digging in her purse, and flashing her NERV headquarters badge to him. "How about that!?"

"How? Who did you have to blow to get a desk job INSIDE headquarters?" He said, almost dropping his cigarette.

"Hey! Rude! Well if you are going to be like that, I guess you could just sleep alone tonight." She said, getting up and finding her underwear and clothes. "I'm going to change in the bathroom. No more eye candy for you. Once I'm done I'll head home. And don't worry. I can drive there myself. Thanks for the free drinks and food dork." She said, sticking out her tongue and shutting and locking the bathroom door.

With a heavy sigh, Makito turned over, put out his cigarette, and threw the blanket over him. "Just lock the door on the way out okay? I guess… I'll see you tomorrow at work."


	10. Chapter 9

The match was intense. As the two combatants flung their attacks back and forth across the playing field, no one was sure who would come out on top. Then out of nowhere, a glancing strike, a graze, a brush, which sent the projectile in a strange direction. It was unprecedented by the receiving party; they weren't prepared in the slightest. With a lunge, and a light tap of energy, the game was back in full sway, but now in the opponents favor. With a high swing, and all of its power, the opponent threw its attack downward, hoping to score and end this game. The white haired oni was prepared for this, and countered, sending the projectile to the red haired devil at a low angle, making the recovery of the last all-out attack nearly impossible.

Reiji stood victorious as the ball fell off the table, hitting the ground a few times before rolling away. Reiji defeated Akihiko at their fifth, and tiebreaking ping pong game, 19-18.

Somehow now exhausted, the two went to the vending machine close by and Akihiko paid for the drinks, as was agreed in their wager on the game.

"Dammit. I thought for sure I was going to win that," He said, taking a long drink of the orange liquid he purchased.

Reiji took a few sips of the canned coffee he requested and shook his head. "You would have, if you hadn't had done that…"

"The finisher? Come on you gotta do a finisher. It's like a signature move in those battle manga," He said, holding his hand over his head and flinging the imaginary projectile towards Reiji.

Reiji seemed unenthused, as always. "If you say so. That finisher of yours made it easier for me to win." He said with a shrug.

The two continued to argue about the games as they headed back to their room. Back and forth they went, but to both of them, they didn't feel like they were fighting. A friendly argument. It was something that neither of them had experienced truthfully. Akihiko was always so abrasive, while Reiji on the other hand normally just didn't care about anything. While they both saw each other as rivals for Sena's affection, they were still comrades, and they were still here for one another. Reiji felt some kind of kinship with him. As if, while they were from very different backgrounds, they had both gone through their own kind of tragedy in their lives. They were both still learning to… be better people as well. With Akihiko around, Reiji felt like he could learn more by watching him, rather than just being taught.

"Fine fine, if you want, we'll play another game and see who wins. We'll play some games in the room. Sound fair?" Reiji said, with a smile that glinted at having a shred of enthusiasm.

Akihiko felt it as well, and nodded with certainty. "Fine by me! Don't cry if you lose, got it!?"

The two made their way joyfully to their room, and began finding a new game to play as they waited for their maidens to return.

* * *

Another plunge into the hot water, and the girls were back in heaven. "Now with all that off my chest, I feel so much better." Nami said, laying her head on a rock that surrounded the spring.

"I'm glad you are feeling better at least," Sena replied as she washed her hair close by at the showers. "Still, it's kind of hard to believe."

Kaoru merely nodded in agreement and made a few confirmation noises, concentrated on washing herself, as well as sneaking peaks of Sena's body.

The trio eventually all ended up in the hot spring, soaking once more. In the relative silence that followed, they all began to think; some being out loud.

"It's amazing it's been so long since the last attack." Sena said, before holding a hand to her mouth. "That's… just what my dad and everyone called it. I'm sorry."

"It's fine. It was an attack to you all. We sent him down as an emissary. He was still a warrior ready for a fight if one was to happen. It can't be helped. I've come to terms with it." Nami said in return.

Another silence came after, and then, Kaoru voiced her thoughts.

"They said that a total number of angels were supposed to come. Eighteen in total I think. I asked Ritsuo about it…" She trailed off. "Does that… make you the second one?"

"I suppose so…"

"Does that mean we may have to fight you?"

The silence came again… the trickle of water from the spring and the murmurs from the other women in the bath were all they could hear, but the noises were lost to them. Kaoru was thinking of how to defend herself and Sena if Nami were to receive the same kill order that she did long ago… And how she and Sena would take it. She couldn't bear to even think that Nami would do something like that, after everything she had told them, but the thought still hung in her mind. _Sena must be thinking of what to do too..._ She thought to herself. The girl she wanted to protect was growing stronger and stronger by the day. Confidence, strength in spirit and body, and faith in her friends resonated through her being and was helping each of them grapple with what was to possibly come. Sena was becoming much more than what Kaoru was expecting.

"I won't be fighting you," Nami said finally, her eyes filled with resolve as she looked to Sena and Kaoru. "I…" She took a deep breath. Looking at her now, she looked like a different person. Her body seemed relaxed, and her movements were fluid and easy. She was comfortable, and ready for what was to come.

"I will defend this world with you. No matter what. They… they can't tell me what to do. I am my own! I am me!" She stood up out of the water, hand to her chest and other arm pointing upwards, "I will do all I can to help and keep this place safe. I love this world, and I want to do everything I can to keep it intact. I tear my wings and cast my form aside! I will ma—MMMPPH!" Kaoru rushed her and placed a hand over her mouth, taking her back to the hot spring water.

She had caused a bit of a scene, and everyone else had grown quiet to hear the naked girl's speech. Now interrupted, they continued to their banter and bathing. With a sigh of relief, the girls continued a bit more quietly.

"I'm sorry… I got a little carried away. I'm… pretty passionate about this." Nami said with a harsh blush in her face.

Sena had been giggling almost the entire time but managed to stop long enough to smile and reply. "Thank you Nami… It… makes me feel so much better knowing you are with us and not against us." She met Nami's eyes with sincerity. "I would hate to lose a friend as good as you."

Kaoru and Nami both blushed and turned away, frightened by so much embarrassing words. "Dammit Sena, why do you have to say things that are so sappy? Come on, let's go play some games before the boys get too peeved at us!" Kaoru said, standing up and dragging the others out of the water with her. With laughs all around, they exited the bath, and began drying themselves and getting dressed. It was time for games.

* * *

The car was quiet as she drove home. Kari drove as quickly as she could in the still warm summer night. "Hard to believe it's already summer," She said to herself, looking back at the briefcase in her backseat, "Also hard to believe they let me take that so easily."

"Well I did kind of just take it by force… sexual force." She said to herself, talking her thoughts out.

"But what else could I do? He wasn't budging an inch on me being the sole person to give this to him. Said I needed security clearance, more time working there… I just told him I'd do all the paperwork, footwork, mouthwork, handwork, et cetera et cetera… That got him riled up really quick. I saw him hit that button on his desk. He locked us in there while we went at it. He kept his word though…" She gave a small sigh.

"I hate doing it. But honestly, it's the easiest way. Men and women… so different, but just like animals, they can all be swayed by a few things. Companionship, food, shelter, love, and lust. That last one's the easiest for anyone. But, you gotta have some pretty good… goods… to ah… get by… right? I mean… no one that looked like that would be into a girl that would be so forward right? Of course not; he never tried to look under my skirt when I went up the stairs ahead of him, he never brushed my legs in my tights when we walked by each other during meetings or when I needed to ask him something, and he SURE. DIDN'T. GRAB. MY. TITS. When the power went out during that meeting."

She took a deep breath. "Typical. Just typical. 'I'm sorry Kari, it's not going to happen. Besides, you aren't even my type?' Really? I'm not? You sure plowed me like I was the last living vagina on earth. But like he said, not his type. Which is perfect. He loves sexing things that aren't his type. Big tits, small tits, huge ass, no ass… Anything goes it seems. No one has a type, they have a drive…"

She veered off and turned down the alley to her apartment, taking a little short cut. She swung into the garage fast, and found the spot close to the stairs and got into it. She sat in the car a moment more, letting it run.

"Regardless, It doesn't matter. It's in the past. I got what I needed, and I got it easily. That's all they want. SEELE, NERV, the government, all of them. They just want answers. Answers to questions they don't even know yet. I'm just here to get paid and work." Another deep sigh. "The Lawson's better still have some stuff that I can eat… I didn't eat much with Makito… didn't wanna seem fat or starving."

She turned the car off and tilted the seat back, letting her hands come up behind her head.

"There's just so much I don't understand, and I don't think I will ever understand. People… just can't understand one another… fully. We may feel empathy and stuff… but we will never see each others true intentions. It's all speculation, inference, and assumption. The river between people, especially men and women, can't be crossed that easily. Still…" She moved the seat back after sitting for a few minutes, taking in the silence of the night and then exiting the car, "We can always try our best." She mumbled under her breath.

 _God I was really hoping the stuff with Makito would have worked out… He was… Just… such a good guy during college._ She thought to herself, as she fumbled with the keys.

She locked the car and made her way outside the parking garage and onto the sidewalk. The Lawson's wasn't far, and she was craving a ton of things. "Alright. Time to grub out tonight!" She lifted her hands up high, exclaiming as she did so, the last thought in her mind now miles away as she smelled the convenient store food.

* * *

"QUIT BUMPING ME! You don't have to use your body to turn!"

"Sorry! I'm tryin' ta win!"

"What's with that accent?!"

"Finished…"

Reiji, Akihiko, Nami, and Kaoru were all playing a racing game while Sena watched this round and got the snacks. Reiji finished first, with Akihiko in second, then Nami in fifth and Kaoru, somehow, in tenth out of fourteen racers.

"What happened there Kaoru?" Sena said, poking fun at her, "You told me and Nami you would wipe the floor with the boys at all these games…"

"Shut your mouth Sena! I don't want to hear that from the girl who didn't play!" She said with her sore loser attitude. "Rematch! Let's switch games! There's gotta be some fighting game or something in here right?"

"I'll have you know my Cammie game is strong in Street Fighter, you don't wanna test me there." Akihiko said, with a smile that could only be called smug.

Sena and Nami both laughed as the duo butted heads yet again, while Reiji sit back and watched as well.

"I'll go get us more drinks and stuff, anyone want anything in particular?" Sena said, raising up.

"Coffee…. And…. Chocolate." Reiji said hesitantly.

"Popcorn and Orange soda." Kaoru said, which brought a puzzled look from the others. "Don't knock it till you've tried it people! It's good!"

"Just a soft drink and chips are fine." Akihiko said with a smile.

Sena wrote them all down on a little pad and started to head out before Nami sprang up, "I'll come with you. That's a lot to carry by yourself."

"Thanks! We'll be back soon!"

The walk was short, but they made it longer with their talk of school, books, and what their golden week had been. Sena couldn't believe what she was hearing from Nami. She seemed like a completely different person now that she didn't have to hold back. Everything she said sounded so much more… vibrant and alive. She seemed the same as well. Life just poured from her as she spoke. She was so happy just… being. Sena loved it, and she loved the time she was spending here, but something was gnawing at her mind. Nami said that the angels above wanted them gone… with Nami gone so long… wouldn't they notice? Or send something else?

"Ah here we are! Sorry, I talked your ear off huh?" Nami said, grabbing the drinks that they needed while Sena got the snacks. They dumped them all on the counter of the small store in the hot springs and made their way back after paying. On their way back, still talking about everything, Sena felt something in her pocket. Her phone started vibrating. The only people who knew her number was everyone here, her father, and Makito. She scrambled to get it out and sure enough… it was him.

"Hello?" She said plainly, her responsibilities rushing back to her as the voice responded on the phone.

"We have a week to prepare for another attack Sena. After today, you and the others, as well as the entire class, will be going through some training… I know it isn't what you want to hear, with all this time passing and nothing happening… but I thought I should tell you and the others at least before it starts. It will be rough, but… It's what you have to do…" He said, with some hesitation in his voice.

 _He doesn't like this either… it's his job though… he must have been getting used to all the quiet too._ Sena thought as she came up with her answer.

"I know it is… but… is there… a way that this Angel may not attack?" She said, looking over at Nami, who's eyes had now become wide and white.

 _No… no no no…_ Nami thought, trying to comprehend what was going on. _They didn't get my report but… they still made their own decision? Are they sending someone else? Thinking I… died? Or are they… are they going to kill everyone?_

Silence was on the other line for what felt like an eternity, and then a heavy sigh followed. "Report to the test chambers tomorrow with everyone else. We have a lot of work to do."

"But… Makito… is there a way to do that? Is there a way to do this without fighting? Please?" Sena said, nearly sounded desperate.

"We will talk about it there Sena… I will see you tomorrow."

The call went out to everyone in the class. And sure enough, everyone showed up. They were all children of a school that demanded the best, and the best was that they defend their city and the world from an incoming threat. As they all gathered in the test chamber, they noticed a few different things. The area was larger, and a stage of sorts was raised up above them, as well a series of elevators had been installed at points around the room. Talk of a secret concert for them, or some kind of seminar was about to take place, but all the rumors were washed away as the principle himself stepped onto the stage, and began his talk.

"Children, I hope you are well. Today, you have all been called here to prepare yourselves for what could be a disastrous event. Another angel is coming, and we are here to prepare. It is not coming from above this time, but below," He let the murmurs from the crowd go for a moment before continuing, "Fear not. We have ways to combat such a thing. Aside from the select units that were produced, we have also made units for you all. Now, they are finished. Your Eva Units are ready. Go to your capsules, and we will prepare you for your test runs and your entry into them. For some of you, this will be your first mission. Prepare yourselves and do your best. We, as well as the entire human race, are counting on you."


	11. Chapter 10

Their regimen of activities never let up once they began that week. For the initiates getting their units, mastering the basics was their every day. Synch tests, simulated races and competitions to keep their spirits up and to keep them training, but soon after, they began the combat tests. For the upperclassmen, and Sena's group, every day was tiresome and exhausting. Hand to hand combat training against one another and simulations, weapon tests in simulations, physical exercise as often as three times a day, and the worst of all, a series of events the students began to call The Gauntlet.

"Fuck. It's been four days of this shit…" Akihiko said aloud, panting as he lifted his shirt to allow the hot air to escape. "In this heat, we're going to get sunstroke sooner than that Angel comes."

Reiji was next to him, panting somewhat as well, but appeared to not be sweating that much. "Who's in The Gauntlet today?"

Sena's eyes widened… Just hearing the name sent shivers down her spine. She'd been a part of the trial since their training began, and each time, she was expected to finish and do better. The first time, she was dead last, unknown with the course and not understanding the rules, but then in the subsequent days, the course changed and was different each time. The first day was a simulated race into a city, where you would grab two weapons of your choice (or for Sena, what was left, a progressive knife and of all things, a power line pole) and then you had to be the last one standing in a battle royale. The second day, the simulation was target practice that went into a shooting gallery for the other members. She finished fifth out of the ten that participated that day. The third day, Sena could hardly remember, but yesterday had been the worst.

"It wasn't even a test or anything… The simulation started us in a dark room, and Dad just said, 'Survive one another and defeat the creature.' I… I was terrified…" She shook herself away from the memories.

"What do you expect? He wants you to be the best out of all of us. You always have the highest synch rates so he thinks you can do a lot more than what we can do with your Unit." Kaoru said, balancing a pencil between her upper lip and nose.

Nami sat breathless between them all, trying to cool herself off with a fan made of paper. "These tests are brutal. How can you all still be sitting here after what you go through? The basics are hard enough."

The memory of the fight with her brother flashed through her head, and she recoiled a little. Sena met her with a smile and her worry faded away. "You can do it Nami. I know you can."

And with that, their break was over, and now it was time for their next assignments, and for Sena, the Trial of the Gauntlet was to begin soon.

* * *

The molten creature moved through the earth swiftly, gathering rock and bits of his heated liquid form to imbue the rocks with a semblance of life. "An army. I must have an army! The angels above would never help me rid this world of those humans, but with this proclamation, I can perhaps ascend once more!" He said to himself, stirring in the core of the planet. "A long lost brother they will call me! A champion of the Most High! A commander of thousands! Millions! I will be the driving force for this war against the humans. I just need more time… My numbers are hardly in the dozens, let alone the hundreds right now… But soon…"

He moved around, taking rocks of any kind close to him, forming humanoid shapes, giving them limbs, faces, wings even for some. As his army grew below, his mind raced with what could become of him in the coming battle. Winning, he would be raised again, leaving the core of the planet and leaving it to its own devices. They would begin a new for the world, and make things in their image with the Most High's help. Adam would lead the charge for design, and ask them all for guidance. They would create a perfect world once more, and keep it perfect.

"Nothing can stop us once they are gone. Nothing… We will remake the world as we see fit. The Most High… The Most High will…"

Long ago, Maalik was an angel of judgement and justice. With the wrongful accusations of so many under his belt during a period of time, simply to see the suffering of those he judged, he was cast down to the earth and into the molten core of the world to live forever more, until the Most High saw fit to bring him back.

More angels had been cast down as well in a similar fashion. Lailah; imprisoned in the night sky, she led many to their doom by changing perceived star locations and sending down illusions of stars hitting the earth to those upon it; Dumah; imprisoned in the depths of the sea, he led sailors to watery graves with silence of the seas, or creatures of nightmares; and Ahriman; a being of pure destruction imprisoned in several layers of rock deep into the earth. He was to help those in times of war, but proceeded to senselessly destroy all those around him; even his own brethren.

But, with the angels, Adam and Lilith, the Most High had long ago gone silent due to allowing them to lead. Even the angels did not know his wearabouts. Some assumed him dead and gone, while others thought he simply had moved on. Working to bring him back or somehow create a new Most High, the angels watched and waited on the humans to do what they were to do on the earth; live and prosper in His Name.

They went astray, far astray to some. Soon, the though rose through them all above; if we could restart this, then perhaps the Most High would come back? Perhaps we could do better than him? We could. With all of us… "All of us…"

This idea reached to even Maalik and the others, still imprisoned on the earth. "I will become one of the true angels again!" He said, exclaiming. "And those that are here with me, will do the same!"

The cry went out, and was answered. Soon, they would begin, and soon, they would destroy the creatures known as Lilin once and for all and create a new world in their images. The image of the angels.

* * *

It began. Inside Unit-01, Sena was wracking her brain as to what to do in this trial. Much like last week, the instructions were not clear in the slightest.

"Survive, and find the goal."

"That's it?" Sena said to herself. _What kind of instruction is that? That's just…. I can't just…_

In her suit, she felt the simulation begin. Darkness was all around her, except for in her immediate vicinity. The speaker came on in her headset. A strangely familiar voice that she had grown accustomed to spoke softly and almost soothingly. "Next to you are an array of weapons and equipment. Take what you think you may need, but not as many as you can carry. There will be creatures that may look like angels. We don't have any real basis for them besides accounts from long ago or the one you guys fought. You will have to fight them if they see you. So… Good luck and do your best!"

The voice ended quickly as Sena looked around for the equipment; a huge floatation device, a progressive knife, a myriad of assault rifles and pistols, a floating 'program' that had a pair of binoculars on it, a shield, a progressive sword, a—"Is that just a rock?" Sena blurted out to herself, before giggling and grabbing a progressive knife and putting it in its holder on the unit's shoulder, a pistol attached to her side, and the sword and shield. Just in case, she touched the program as well. "Can't hurt. Gotta be able to see far away sometimes right?"

"Well… time to go rescue a princess," She giggled to herself, laughing at her own joke, before setting off. With a simple thought, the thermal visor activated on her vision. Ahead, she could see a few heat signatures of creatures, but nothing that looked like a goal. "I guess I'll head that way. Everywhere else around looks the same."

She hurried and hurried and moved in on the first creature. An earthworm with an armor plated head and tendrils of energy out of its side is what it could only be described as. She dashed in with her shield raised, and cut into its soft underbelly, making it evaporate in the air. "One down. Gotta keep moving."

* * *

The readings were good, as usual. All of the students were performing well. Some of them had already found the objective, but were unsure as to how to proceed. The instructions were to survive and find the goal, but how could someone reach something that was up there? There were limitations as to what the units could do. Why were they even being tested this way?

"God he's just going to keep pushing her 'till she breaks huh?" Makito said as he took a few sips of his coffee. Ritsuo took a last puff on his cigarette and put it out in the overflowing ashtray beside him. It hadn't been emptied in a few days, and Ritsuo had gone through a few packs in those few days with the stress of calibration of the mass produced units and checking readings for the incoming Angel. "What else can he do? Everyone's gotta get stronger if we want to have a chance at facing these… things. Closest one coming to us is coming from inside the fuckin' ground. It's reaching temperatures that are close to lava! I dunno how it's going to happen, but if we win that one, we have three more that popped up that are dormant, but stirring. One's in the ocean… off the Atlantic… Another's just floating around in very low orbit. I don't see how gravity isn't pulling it in to make it crash. And there's one more that's over in Mexico. It's in the ground but… I can't really get a reading on it. It's like it's hidden by something… or something…" He reached for his cigarette pack, and shuffled it around, hearing nothing. He tossed it in the trash after crumpling it. "Face it. If they don't get stronger, we're all dead. If they slip up once… everything's done."

Makito let out a long sigh. "I guess you are right. I hope Sena can get out of this soon. But if she wins this one, I wouldn't put her back in anytime soon."

"Oh you saw where I put the goal? Sneaky right? Since it's a simulation, they can do whatever if they know how to mess with the system right. And heck what do we know? Maybe those huge mechanical suits will let them do things like that." He took out some chewing gum and popped it in his mouth. "We're still learning about them right now anyways. Research can only go so far when only ten people have access to the Inner Levels."

"Yeah. I guess…" He replied, rolling his coffee around in his cup.

"Kari called me this morning wondering how to get in again." Risuo said, with a smug grin. "She's mad at you still huh?"

Kari had known how to get into headquarters before her first day, but to make him jealous, or try to, she had begun to call Risuo to help her get in, and ride the elevator down with him. While not jealous, it was making him fairly angry that Kari hadn't said but a few words to him since their debacle at his place a few days ago. Makito turned his head away and drank more coffee quickly before stretching and beginning to walk away. "Well time to get back to monitoring all that stuff with the tests! Man long day right!? See ya later man!" He said before heading back to the testing room at a gallop.

"Gods… that guy. Does he not remember what happened the last time she got in his pants?" He scoffed. "Crazy. Just crazy." He whipped his phone out of his pocket and typed in a number. "Hello? It's Ritsuo. You… Yes. Yeah. Yeah I am calling about tha… no. No not those. I said ultras. Lights are fine… why'd you get me straight filtered? What the hell? I told you 'I'm trying to quit,' what did you think that meant!?"

With that, he stormed off down into the data collection room, awaiting his next pack of cigarettes to arrive.

* * *

After felling another monster, Sena felt as if she wasn't anywhere closer to the goal, or where the goal even was. She felt like she had run forever. Her legs, her arms, everything was exhausted. Looking around, there weren't any creatures in about ten miles from what she could see, so she decided to take a small break. As she sat down in the simulation, she could feel her body recuperate a little. It wasn't a pleasant place to be. She felt on edge at all times. Nothing felt safe and she could feel a thousand eyes watching her at all times. After about ten minutes, or what she felt like was ten minutes, she stood up quickly and looked to the sky. "Whoever you are, if you are watching me, come out! I'm tired of this stuff! I just want to go home and rest!" And then she saw it. A big golden medal resting on the surface of the moon above.

 _ARE YOU SERIOUS!?_ Was all that Sena could think. That was the goal. On the surface of the moon. Their units weren't even supposed to be able to exit the atmosphere, but they decided to put the goal on the moon in a simulation…

"Wait… this is a… simulation… so…" Sena looked to the ground, and dug the unit's foot in. All at once, she tried her best, and sure enough, she felt the pressure of leaping upwards almost a mile high. As she came back down, she landed with a thud on her feet, but still, she could do it. "So… Maybe reaching that isn't so hard…" Soon, after gathering herself, she tried again, and leapt. This time, she felt herself leave the atmosphere, and hit the weightlessness of space. She took a deep breath, and felt her lungs fill with air. "I'm… I'm fine. I can do this." She said with a smile. Now close, she moved closer and closer to the moon. And soon, she was nearing her landing. Once her feet hit the surface, the simulation phased out, and ended.

"Congratulations Sena Ikari! You finished the test! The other members are still testing at the moment, so please exit your module and go see the instructor!" The cheerful voice rang out inside the module before ending abruptly, and the module began to disengage and open up. Outside, Makito was waiting with a big smile on his face, and a cup of hot coffee and a bag of snacks in his hand. "You deserve a lot more than this, but here… good job Sena. We're all really proud of you."

* * *

The data collection room was in an uproar of happiness. All of the things Sena did in that test had come back as possible somehow. She could breathe in space if her unit had power, and the unit could jump with enough force to leave the atmosphere. With the data now, they could do so much more with tests and set new heights for what was expected of the unit productions. Ritsuo rocketed out and went to the testing room to get Makito. It was only a matter of time before Sena landed and completed the test, so he had to hurry.

Busting through the door, he found Makito looking over Sena's readings quietly. "Dude. Sena's doing it. She's… she can jump into space!" Ritsuo said out of breath with a smile on his face. "You… You have got to congratulate her or something! That's fucking amazing! We didn't know the units could do that."

"It's just a simulation isn't it? That means it wasn't real." He replied, still watching the readings.

"Maybe, but still it means it is possible for the unit to do so. All of the settings on the simulation are for real world situations. Gravity, wind, pressure, everything! So it is possible!"

Makito's eyes grew wide. Sena, shy and quiet Sena, just did something that the scientists of NERV, the people who make and monitor everything about these units, thought impossible. He immediately got up, and left, rushing to the break room as quickly as possible.

Once meeting her with the snacks and coffee, Makito led Sena over to a rest area for the participants. "So… how was it?" He asked as she took a few sips of coffee. He had put a lot of milk and sugar in it. He didn't know if she liked coffee or not. He couldn't remember anyway.

She coughed as the coffee hit her tongue. "How was what?"

"The moon. Space! How did it look?"

"Oh uh…" Sena looked down at the coffee, "It was weird. Just a lot of darkness out there…. The moon was really big. Bigger than what I expected I guess. I… I didn't think that was possible though. I was just trying something since it was a simulation." She grinned.

"Did I… Did I do something good?" She said after a moment of silence.

"You did something amazing. None of the scientists here thought what you did was possible. It's either an anomaly, bad programming, or it is completely possible. They are running the numbers now, but they are so sure about it that they believe what you did is possible. You should be proud Sena!"

She looked at the floor, and gave a small grin. "Thank you Makito. It means a lot… So…" She started, but was interrupted by a woman in business attire slamming into the seat next to her, nudging her as she sat down as well. "Hey there Sena! I'm Kari! I have been the one giving instructions on these tests for the past few days! I need to ask you to get away from this heathen of a man and come with me for a moment. Just need you to fill out some stuff about the test okay?"

"H-heathen!? Who are you calling a heathen!" He said as he tossed a fruit snack he was eating at her. "And why won't you respond to my calls or texts Kari?"

"See? Look at that. Throwing his food to get attention. Like some wild ape. Come on Sena. Let's go." She said as she locked her arms into Sena's and stood up with her. She led her down a hall into a side room, and locked the door in one quick motion.

"What the hell did I do to deserve this!?" Makito said, raising his hands to the sky in anger and sadness. Soon, the others began to be released from their modules. He went over to tell them all the news; that Sena Ikari had beat them all in this Gauntlet.


	12. Chapter 11

_Who would have thought it was this easy?_ She thought to herself as she finished locking the door. Kari turned around to see Sena sitting in the chair across the small table. The space was something like a debriefing room that had turned into a simple break room for those not wanting to go all the way out to the balcony. A smattering of snacks and drinks were laid on a small table in the far corner, but looked hardly touched since their initial placement. She moved over to the other seat, and sat down slowly, placing her clipboard and notes on the table.

 _God this'll be easy. High school girls and boys are so easy to sink your teeth into and play with._ "So Sena, I just have a few questions to ask you about the test and your time here at the school. It's just a little survey to see what we are doing differently from the other schools. Always gotta be the best right?"

"…O-okay… Can I ask a question first?" She said, hesitantly, being in this cramped space with this new person made her kind of nervous."

"Sure go ahead." Kari replied with a smile. To Sena, it didn't feel as inviting as she might have hoped.

"Mr. Katsuragi. You two seem to be on good terms… Or at least friendly… Did you know him from before he became a teacher here?"

 _Oh? Did this little girl catch the love bug from him? Oh boy… I wonder how this will play out._ "Well we met in college. He was in engineering and I was just a simple Humanities major. Well, that's a lie. We were double majors, him in some weird science thing and I was also in accounting and business management."

Sena sat with a puzzled look. "So… how did you meet?"

"I was getting some food from the cafeteria with my friends and he bumped into me, throwing my food everyone on us. He apologized a lot, but I didn't give in for a moment. He sat with him for a little while apologizing, before I realized I liked talking to him. It was fate I guess. I wish fate hadn't done it that way though, that skirt and top combo was awesome. I couldn't get the stains out." She gave Sena a giggle, to which she smiled and laughed back to. "What brought that on though? Just wondering where I came from?"

 _Only natural. I could say I've been just a hired hand for a while and got moved up to headquarters paperwork business stuff with those credentials. She's the Director's daughter though. I don't know who or how much she knows. Well… not yet anyway._

"You two looked like you got along. I've never seen him so flustered before. It was a nice change of pace from his normal self."

"He's tried to hit on you hasn't he? I knew it." She grumbled, "He's a wolf. Just wants some newer meat once he sees it. I'm sorry he's made school so hard for you."

She laughed before responding. "I don't think he really meant to hit on me. He hasn't made school hard though. For some time… he was my only real friend. I appreciated him and still do. He's always been a big help for me and my new friends."

 _Woah what? Who is this girl? I was told this little thing was friendless, alone, and just grasping for attention. What's this? She sounds like she has her life figured out for a few months ahead of time at least…_

Kari gave a small sigh and smiled. "That's good to hear. I'm glad he's controlled himself around such a cute high school girl." A small blush came to Sena before she nodded. "Alright, let's get started with this survey and get it over with. Then, I'll treat you to something after this. Bring your friends if you want. I'll take you all there!"

With a nod of approval and a smile, Sena begins the interview.

* * *

"I knew she could do it. Never doubted her for a second." Karou said with a determined nod, looking out the window to the school grounds. Akihiko, Reiji, and Nami all looked hesitantly at her. "You said before they made the announcement how they should take it easy on her…" Nami said slightly under her breath. "I'm glad she finished it. I wonder what the test was."

"They said something about survival training or something… but from what I've been told it's mostly just, 'hit targets, jump around, or run somewhere in time' in a simulator. Wonder what they are testing?"

"Sync rates… reaction times… ability to adapt." Reiji said plainly as usual. "The moon… Sena made it to the moon… from what I heard."

"Now that's nonsense. Even in simulations, you can't do that without like… rockets and stuff right?" Akihiko refuted, looking to the sky out the window. "I mean… it's a long ways up there. How could something just… jump up there?"

With a puffed up chest and a smug look on her face, Kaoru nodded and smiled. "Nothing is impossible for Sena. Like I said, I knew she could do it."

"Right… well, if she did something that awesome, let's all go somewhere to celebrate. We'll go out to eat or something… Sound good?" Akihiko said, still looking out at the passing clouds.

The others merely sat breathless, staring at him. "Did I say something weird?"

"Well I mean… While you might have changed some, you never really want to do things… Just for Sena…" Karou says, inching closer, an inquisitive look about her. "What's your angle?"

"Angle?"

"Yeah, what's going on Aki?" Nami said, as she inched closer and continued the accusations.

Reiji came in as well, but merely joined in the circle with the girls, cornering him.

"Just… Just wanted to be friendly! Shit. Fine… You guys come up with it… I'm—,"

Suddenly, the alarm began. All at once, the windows were shuttered with a rolling cage of metal. Lights came on that gave the classroom an eerie glow that seemed otherworldly and strange. Then, as the alarm stopped a moment, the intercom came on.

"EMERGENCY," The robotic and systematic voice said, to each classroom, hallway, and room in the school. "EMERGENCY. ANGEL INCOMING IN FOUR HOURS. IMPACT AREA IS LOCATED 5 MILES FROM SCHOOL TO THE NORTH, AT MT. *static static*." The message cut out a moment, and then returned. "PLEASE REPORT TO YOUR ASSIGNED LOCATIONS, AND PREPARE FOR BATTLE. YOU HAVE TEN MINUTES TO BE AT YOUR STATIONS. THIS MESSAGE REPEATS."

* * *

"PLEASE REPORT TO YOUR…" The message blared as they all ran down the hall. Kids from every class filtered into the halls, running to the basement and going to their assigned areas. The regular students each had operatives of their own from their classrooms. They were not expendable to NERV, but far from it. These combinations of student pilots and student communication operatives would become the support and last line of defense should the others fail. It was a heavy burden that none wanted to shoulder, so when the time came, they would all be cheering and hoping that Sena and the others could pull through.

"That's way ahead of the projected impact date! We just got done with the days training… Goddammit… I thought we had more time!" Makito said as he slammed his fist on the door to the interview room that Sena and Kari occupied. "Hey! Get outta there! We have to get to our stations!"

After a few knocks they burst from the door. "We heard the alarm! Had to get stuff together! What's going on?" Kari said, annoyed at the interruption of her real mission, no matter how severe the annoyance might be.

"The angel's on its way. Sena has to get to her station immediately. We have your entry plug ready to go in Unit-01. Get there as quick as you can, Ritsuo will brief you if there is time. The others should be there soon. Hurry! Go!" Makito said to Sena, before slapping her back gently to get her moving. With a quick glance and nod of affirmation, she was off.

"You didn't have to yell most of it." Kari said, as the alarms were still blaring, "We can hear you."

"SOR-… sorry..." He replied, quieter now.

 _Why's it so easy to wrap him around my finger but all my questions seemed to backfire with Sena? Well, gotta keep trying I guess._ "Let's go. There's not much time before the elevators are shut down."

They hurried off to their own stations, and waited for what kind of angel they were going to come in contact with next.

* * *

Nami had become one of the best supplementary pilots since their swift training began, and now here she was in the first division second seat. Vice-Captain. It was all a lot to take in. Swift as she could be, she suited up, and went to her division's waiting room. There were a few others there, but the only one she really wanted to see was her friends.

 _I hope Sena and the others are alright. I wish I had sent in my report earlier so all this stuff wasn't happening. Maybe I could have stopped it? If I had just gone back and told them nothing was going on, it was a mistake, and that humans really aren't that destructive or want us dead? They don't want to… ascend or take our place or whatever they were saying? So what if we can't find Adam or Lilith? We've been fine without them for… It's been… well… regardless, we've been fine. Why do we need to… destroy them all? It doesn't make any—_

Her train of thought was cut off as a hand clasped her shoulder. "SENSE!" she yelled as she turned, startled.

The captain of the division looked at her with surprise. "Hello to you too Nami. You nervous or something?"

He was a nice guy, but Nami hardly knew him besides his name. "Tetsuo… Yeah… Just really nervous. Worried about…"

"Sena and the others? I don't think you have anything to worry about. They've gone through a fight already. They should be fine. They have experience. All they have to do is stay calm and focused. We'll be here to help them if we need to. Don't worry."

The words did put her at ease for a moment, until the others began to file in. All the noise and emotions compacting in the area made her own emotions begin to bubble up again. "Thank you Captain. I… I just need to calm down before all this. I feel like I'm ready to go on stage and perform my part in a big performance. All these butterflies in my chest. They aren't just for my nerves. It's worry for my friends on this big stage too…" She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Tetsuo smiled down to her and patted her shoulder. "Get that tuba and let's get up on that stage so we can help them then! It's almost time for us to go!"

"Why would I have a tuba!?" she exclaimed before rushing after him.

* * *

The time had come. It was now their time to rise up. He had constructed all the creatures he needed. They were ready, he was ready. It was time to show the Lilin just what punishment they rightly deserved. The Most High, Adam, Lilith, the other angels…

"They will surely… most surely be pleased. I…" He waited a moment, before letting the emotions out in a burst of energy, "I have waited so long to rejoin them all! I will show them my power!"

With the power of the magma below and his own forces, he began to bore a hole upwards. Through the hardest rock and a thousand different minerals, he cut and cut through the rock, allowing his forcing to flow in behind him. They pushed upward and onward, following their master and leader to their battlefield.

* * *

The seismic lurch of an earthquake was all one big push, and then the ground began to settle again. Monitors displaying hundreds of different readings began to blare and alert that something was coming, and it was not alone, and that it was going to be big.

"Fuck! We knew they were coming, but not this many! Shit shit shit!" Ritsuo said as he threw away his cigarette, reading for the mic to the main pilots. "Sena, Kaoru, Reiji, Akihiko, can you hear me?"

"Yes ma'am!" The response came in loud and clear.

"Listen carefully. That movement you just felt is the Angel. Somehow, it was inside the earth, waiting for the moment to strike. It's come much sooner than what we could predict, but it is bringing… some… things with it." Ritsuo searched for the words, but couldn't find anything suitable.

"Things?" The pilots said in their own time.

"We don't know what it is bringing… Or even what it looks like… So… we are practically flying blind. All we know is it can withstand temperatures that are equal to magma. With that in mind, we've given you a few weapon modifications to compensate…" She took a breath before addressing them. "Sena. Unit-01, as well as the other Units, have all been equipped with temperature stabilization systems. You'll notice it's quite a bit colder in your unit. That's normal. Don't worry. Sena, your unit has a rifle that uses cold rounds. Ice bullets basically. A lot of the Mass Produced units have these too, but not in your caliber. Use them wisely. Kaoru, you have a set of progressive knives that are set to the lowest temperature we could get them at. -100 Celsius. You may feel a bite once you grip them first, but your suit as well as your unit is able to take it. Reiji, you have a blast shield if the thing hits you all or has some projectile attack. It can withstand quite a bit of heat, but we don't know what it can do, so… be prepared. You also have one of the same knives as Kaoru has…" After a big sigh, he continued. "Akihiko… You…. We put more shielding and protection on the arms and legs of your unit."

"Are you serious? So the thing you guys told me not to do last time… I get to do this time?" He said, scoffing. "Well I won't complain. Fine by me."

"Good good. Katsuragi's coming in. He'll give you what we've found so far about them alright? See you guys later. Good luck out there. Ritsuo out." He said, before shutting his mic off.

"Good job Ritsuo. Hopefully them hearing that has gotten them a little more under control," Makito said with a wave. "What have we found out anyway?"

Ritsuo just turned around and shrugged his shoulders before sticking another cigarette in his mouth. "If you read the briefing, you're caught up. It's big, it can withstand intense heat, its bringing friends. We'll analyze it once it breeches."

He merely nodded to agree before taking a deep breath. "Team," He said, switching his mic on, "The operation will be beginning in less than fifteen minutes. Prepare yourselves. This will be one hell of a fight."

* * *

The pilots were in position, and all of the secondary line of defense was ready to go as well. The mass produced EVAs stood in a line, guarding the school and were scattered around the base of the mountain, while the main pilots were a few steps up the side. The earth shook all at once, hitting them all with force that felt terrifying. An earthquake radiated from the mountain, sending some of the less experienced pilots in the secondary line to their backs. A screech of fear came through the airwaves to all the communication officers as most of the pilots seemed to quiver in fear of the oncoming threat.

Which they all understood. They were kids. This was terrifying. An enemy, which they had never seen, was coming to attack their home. Most of them enrolled to the school in hope that they could learn about otherworldly things, or become a scientist of a specialized field… none of them foresaw themselves as a pilot of a machine that was more than three times as large as some of their houses. And capable of doing quite a lot of destruction. As the shaking stopped, the mountain above seemed to rumble, and open up at the top. Ash shot from the top, covering the sky and the ground as brightly covered lava began to spill out the top and slide down to the groups below. The heat was intense, but the shielding and temperature stabilization held as the lava crept closer. Then, they came. All in differing sizes, the creatures looked much like those of earth. Some had the thin legs of spiders cloaked in fire and dripping with lava from its openings in its earthen form and from its maw of jagged stalactite teeth. Others bore the form of other insects and creatures of the land. These huge masses of rock moved down the mountain slowly, allowing their numbers to swell as a larger hulking mass moved upwards off the top of the mountain. With its movements came the sound of rock grating together, and the heat from a fire out of control. The temperature stabilizers were doing their best, but the heat was still intense. Soon, a large heap of rock and flowing magma raised an appendage and a roar came from it. A cry to charge, a cry to announce the battle commencing. The soldiers around it launched themselves and bypassed the larger Units, going straight for the secondary line of defense.

"Everyone get ready! Fire your weapons and be prepared for impact! Remember your training and keep them at bay!" Makito's yell came in over all the noise to all their receivers. Each creature found their targets in the secondary line, and was met with either some opposition, or simply a roadblock that they had to get past. Nami was performing well, cutting through the creatures that were held and in position by her team. She felt like this unit was her own. It could flow and move like her own body. She could feel its hands and feet hit their mark and she felt the resistance of the creature's bodies as she cut through them. The others were doing their best, but some of their ranks were being cut down. They outnumbered them by quite a bit, but the creatures were far stronger to their young and hardly trained ranks.

The larger creature dragged its main body around, its core exposed and rolling around in the rocky sludge. The lava coiled around it suddenly, and moved to Sena and the others. "Get ready! It's going to get hot!" Kaoru said, before getting the knives out of their sheathes. Sena lifted her gun, and fired a few shots, sending the cold bullets into the creature. They hit their mark, froze a part of the creature, and then broke soon after. It writhed with the cold, but moved forward easily. Its slimy form expanded in ropes, creating tendrils from its body, and sent them out to lash at the others. "REIJI THE SHIELD!" Makito yelled over the receiver, but he was too slow. Reiji lifted the shield in time to block himself, but no one else. The tendrils lapped at the Units around him, sending searing pain and intense heat through the bodies of the pilots. Sena and Kaoru let out a cry of pain as they could feel the area that was hit begin to sweat and their bodies try to recuperate from the pain. Akihiko winced with the attack, but his extra shielding provided him with more protection from the heat. He lunged forward, the Unit's feet now dancing on the top of the lava flowing around it. The pain was immense, but he endured to land a strike on the core. A cry leapt from the creature as the sludgy lava and rock coiled round it once more; almost in reverse to how a flower blooms.

"That… stopped it." Akihiko said, trying to catch his breath. His feet felt as if the skin was gone from them. The smell was disgusting, and the pain was so vivid, but nothing could shake him from his task. He had to protect everyone somehow. He waited, ready for the next attack from the guarded angel.

* * *

The noise on the lines from the secondary line was that of a chorus from hell. Laughing, angry screams, yells and wails of pain echoed throughout the communication hall of the secondary lines operatives. Many had thrown their headsets down and were merely doing damage control and sending reports to the communication officers at the front of the place. Makito was receiving them and giving orders as best she could, but it looked like a losing battle for most of the groups. Some were left of each, but there was one that remained whole. Continuously, they would meet the challenge that came to them, and they would thwart it and destroy it. Nami's group. They were a force to be reckoned with, and the Angel's forces were thinning thanks to them.

An idea hit with the report that the line was clear, but the entire secondary line was now down to 1/3 of their members. Makito clicked on his mic to all channels and began giving orders. "Everyone! The forces don't seem to be going for the city. Only you guys. Secondary line survivors, form behind group one with Nami and Tetsuo at the head. If they come at you, support them all you can. If you are overwhelmed, those with any type of shield should be able to form a phalanx around those that are still functioning. From there, defend yourselves and hold them off as best you can. Protect yourselves and those fallen around you. The main four units are combating the bigger enemy and once they are done, or if they can spare it, they will help you all. Understood?"

A resounding yes came from the first group with Nami, but the others had their doubts. Words dashed through the comm channels calling the orders suicidal, that he wanted all of them to die, that the larger units were their main concern, and words of abandonment, hatred, and angry sadness resonated throughout Katsuragi's ears. It sounded so much like when he was with his mother and father. That terrible day all came trickling back… The sounds of everyone screaming… the red sky, his necklace… that… thing that stood up and roared…

He shook his head. "Everyone listen! We are going to get through this but you are going to have to trust me! Without that, you all will hurt far more than you do now. Are we clear!?"

A silence permeated the communication channels. All the children seemed to wait for some kind of response from someone other than themselves until they realized, they were all they had out there. These adults were doing their best to help them. They had to trust them. There was hardly anyone else to trust.

A resounding yes rang through, as a scream of resolve and battle cries came from the speakers around the control room. "Looks like they all have their fire back," One of the operatives said aloud before going back to his work.

 _They better keep it. If they start slipping up and falling, we won't have many kids left here…_ Katsuragi thought to himself as the sludgy lava creature was being fought on the main monitor by the full sized units. The battle was slow, as they could hardly touch it, but it seemed they were making some kind of progress.

"Sena! Report!" He said, loudly into her Unit.

"Ummm… Everything's really hot and we can see the core. We just can't… Get to it!" A wince of pain came during the conversation. On the screen, it looked as if the lava was pooling around them and only rising. It was near the units' ankles now, and the 'skin' was coming off, revealing what was beneath.

"Get out of that stuff! Withdraw and back off!" He said. The units stumbled, but came out of the ankle deep lava with relative ease. The creature, and the lava, began to reform soon after; sucking the surrounding lava back to the deep red core that still sat at the top of the rupture in the ground. It formed around the core, and looked as if it was now standing.

"How the hell are we supposed to get close to that thing?" Akihiko said, checking around to the others to see if they had answers, as well as to check to see if they were alright.

"I have no idea. These… cold weapons don't seem to do much besides slow it for a moment," Kaoru replied, breathing heavily from damage and heat, "Just like the last one, we most likely have to hit and destroy the core…"

"It's just… right there…" Sena said; almost desperate for this to end. From her ankles down, her feet like they were still on fire. Everything hurt down there, and she couldn't tell if it was just cause of the suits shielding being depleted, or it was some malfunction. Maybe she was feeling what the unit felt? _Wait… what? She was... but... was it that bad? Were her feet... burning like the unit's?_

"Well then… Take this!" Kaoru said, grabbing one of her knives and flinging it like a baseball to the core. It hit easily, and seemed to sink in slowly to the lava surrounding the core. A screech unheard of before was let out soon after. "Oh god I must have hit it!" More lava seemed to burst out of the rupture in the ground as it began to form around the core that could be seen now; the knife hardly stuck in it but slowly freezing all around it. With a flood of lava around it, the knife was gone and the blade was out. A crack in the core could be seen now as the lava began to flow around once more. In the gold and red flow of heat from the earth, the blade heated up, and disappeared… melted or consumed. It swelled and moved upward, forming some kind of body around the core. It moved with an unnatural grace that could only be described as disgusting. A maw formed slowly, with it producing some terrifying noises that none could understand or comprehend.

"What are we supposed to do if these cold weapons don't work? Just… run!?" Kaoru said with genuine fear in her voice.

"You fight! You have to stop it!" Katsuragi's voice came clear through their channels. "We will figure something out. Buy us some time or get back and help the secondary line. Their smaller numbers are almost gone but they are still stronger than ours!"

Sena didn't know what to do, but she knew she needed to help… someone. Just anyone. She wanted to help in some way. And while she couldn't do anything with this thing at the moment, she knew she could take out the smaller ones… Without a word, she turned, and ran to the secondary line as fast as she could, hoping that she could do some good there and help her friends in some way.

* * *

The screams were unbearable. She had to shut them up somehow. Each punch, kick, stab of her knife, shot from the meager gun they gave them all. Each one stopped one voice and started up another. They all kept screaming in pain, or were talking to her in rushed words. Words that meant nothing to her now but still cut deep.

"Betrayer. You brought this on yourself! You sided with the Lilin for what? This? This decrepit world? We could have renewed this dying rock and started anew."

"Deceiver. You came to this planet to observe and decipher, not befriend and protect. Now you fight your own kind on their behalf?"

"Weakling. Being in that Lilin body has made you one with their ways. You are nothing compared to your former self. You are nothing but filth to us now. Die so we may begin again!"

Nami could only fight back and take hits when she could. She was exhausted. Her communication officer was doing their best to keep her going, but her suit could only take so much. Being at the head of the formation meant she was the only defense against these things with her group. They were fighting still from what she could see, but she hadn't heard from them in a while. How long had they been fighting? Did any make it past? No one had checked in since Katsuragi spoke to them all about the new plan. Where were they?

A swift stab to the side of the unit sent her to one knee. She could feel it too. In her side, she felt her skin open up, and blood began to spill. Where were the others? She was doing her best… but she needed help…

Another stab came in; this time, her shoulder was the target. It connected, blasting the arm off. She could feel it. The nerves in her left arm were on fire, telling her to run. She knew she couldn't. She had a duty. To her friends that she made this promise with, and all these students counting on her. She raised herself up again, picking the knife up off the ground and readied herself. She was badly beaten, but she would never give up. Not until this was over.

Another hit came after she swiped across the chest of another enemy. This one punched the units chest, and sent Nami to the ground. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't move. And after looking around… she could see why. Her unit of six was not reduced to her and her alone. Her captain lay beside her, his unit simply a pile of blood and broken machinery. To the other side, her other members were hardly even visible. Their plugs had been ejected, but the contents all looked like a type of soup with no body in it. The actual units of theirs were buried by other bodies. Behind her, the shell of shields and other units still held, with cowering children inside, piloting them all. She couldn't give up… She can't… These things had to be stopped somehow.

Suddenly, everything wasn't hot anymore. The creatures, were still coming, but she was standing now, and she felt the nerves of her left arm cease their firing. She lifted the units left arm, and something was there. An arm that was larger than her other arm, and the color of ice across the top of water. The deep and cold blue mixed with white armor across the outside felt… different. She swung the arm, and hit a few of the creatures. Another hit came in on her, this time to her right arm. It came off as well, but Nami didn't feel anything. And then, the arm was back, just like the other on her left. Her legs went next as the creatures were only focusing on her, ripping and tearing her as much as they could. Her legs, the plating on the unit's chest, even her head. She could feel everything being taken apart. Her vision blurred and came back more times than she could remember. Did she lose consciousness? Was she alive anymore? She felt… different now. All around her, the creatures had been slain… and as she looked up, there she was. Her friend. The first friend she made here on the earth, looking down with an open hand.

"Nami! Are you alright? What… what is that unit? When did you get that?!" She said, as the communication channel fizzed into frequency.

She stood the same height as Sena's unit now. An icy blue unit with white and silver armor plating in places stood now besides the purple and green of Sena's own unit. The secondary line's remaining forces below were intact, and now were retreating back as they saw that the creatures were gone. Everyone back at headquarters was silent as they tried to comprehend what had happened. A mass produced unit, somehow, someway, grew new body parts, and increased in size to combat the threat before it. Everyone wanted answers, but none were getting them soon. Just as soon as she found her footing, a roar came from the lava creature above the fissure in the ground. It moved and undulated towards the two of them with haste. It moved with the force and speed of a rapidly flowing river, careening towards a small group of rocks that could potentially alter or halt its flow. It would destroy them if it could.

It came in full force. Sena lifted her hands to block it, as did Nami. The searing pain came all at once, as they both screamed. But once Nami heard Sena's scream of pain, something changed. She moved swiftly, and jumped through the fiery liquid in front of Sena, reaching for the core. Once she felt the orb in her hands, her unit let out a roar of pain, anger, and power. The lava froze all at once, held them in an icy bloom of a display, with Nami's frozen hands holding a core that was chilled and split in two.

Sena's unit crumpled to the ground, the pain to immense and the shock of it being over washing over her. The frozen remains of the lava crumpled and fell to the earth, as Nami's unit stood there with her hands still on the core. Nami moved the core to the unit's mouth, as it opened it, and consumed. It was a sight that none had ever seen before. It ate quickly, and but slowly in everyone's watching eyes. It ate and ate, and soon, it was gone. Blood covering the hands and mouth of the new creature that stood before them. A new Evangelion Unit that was created in a moment of dire need. One that had power that was unknown to all of headquarters. Tests were needing to be run, and many answers were needing to be found, but for the time being… they had done it. The creatures had been defeated.

* * *

"Go ahead. Damage report. After that," Makito downed a shot of whiskey as he said at the panel of computers with the tech, Ritsuo, and Kari. They both had their own drinks as well… but they were not trying to make them disappear as fast as Makito. He sighed before continuing, "damage to the units, casualties, injuries, and how are the main four… well… five Children."

The tech gathered his information and began reading it all off. Tokyo-3 had suffered some damages, but most of the damage was to the landscape surrounding the buildings. Extensive earth movement had shook up a lot of the foothills and moved quite a bit of earth. It would take some time for it to settle again. Most of the ground was burnt and charred from the lava, but was stull useable. Once it cooled down, grass and trees would begin to grow again. It simply took time.

The mass produced units were the most damaged. Over two-thirds of the units had become inoperable. The ones that are still functional have damage ranging from missing parts, to hardly a scratch on them. The main units are intact, with Reiji's unit having the least amount of damage thanks to the shield, with Akihiko's and Kaoru's close behind. They did suffer damage, but nothing too severe. Three-fourths of the entire secondary line was wiped out or in a state of…

"insanity, coma… various other things." The tech said, reading the various diagnoses with a heavy voice and a skip in his voice. "It's heavy stuff man," Ritsuo said, taking a swig of his drink and a long drag of his cigarette. "Now you know why I smoke all the time." He continued after composing himself again.

The rest of the secondary line has minimal injuries, but many seem… different. After facing these things, many do not know if they have the training to do so again. Many are wishing to leave the school, but some are asking for more training to deal with the situation better. As for the five Children, Sena and Nami are the worse for wear. Since the battle ended, they have been undergoing medical treatment and have not awoken yet. Akihiko has second degree burns, but doesn't need anything more than ointment and bandages. Kaoru and Reiji both had first degree burns, but hardly any medical treatment beyond first aid. Nami was said to have fourth degree burns, and Shinji having third degree burns as well.

"That ends the report." The tech said, closing the small booklet of information and placing it back on the desk. "Thank you sir. Back to what you were doing. And here," Katsuragi passed him the glass, still half full. "Go ahead. I think everyone needs a bit to calm themselves down." The three of them walked back down the corridor to the medical bay, where the other three children sat waiting. As they came, Sena and Nami came out, bandaged all over in various places. Somehow… someway… the two were awake, and coherent. And neither of them seemed as injured as the report said.

"Good job you guys…" Katsuragi said with as much effort and happiness as he could. But he couldn't really hide it. "I know… You are worried and… terrified at what happened. We are too. All of us. The techs, the communication officers, the menial desk workers, the mechanics; the janitor is even scared of what happened and what is going to happen." He smiled, but couldn't force himself to for long. "You all did a great job, and while bad things happened… you did it. That thing is gone… and we can rest for a moment. Get to feeling better, and we'll be back at school tomorrow. Rest, recuperate, and just know that you protected everyone here in Tokyo-3. You are heroes." He said, before bowing to them, and walking away with the other two.

As they left, the Children were still stuck in their state of shock. They all heard the words, but only had a few things on their mind. They wanted rest, and they wanted their minds to stop replaying those screams and yells of pain.

* * *

Another failure. Just another failure. He was the oldest… he was sent here first and imprisoned. Now… Now it was the others' turn. There were three more still here on the heap of lilin rock; figuratively.

Lailah had watched all of those filthy little creatures move about in her night. The black shade of night was just as much a part of her as the shadows cast by the sun. She didn't need pawns like Maalik did. She could do this all alone. She would cover the entire world in night, and destroy them one by one. Starting with those creatures that were a mockery of their own forms. Those beings that combatted the angels with angelic forms. They would be the first to go. A few more nights to plan, and she would be ready.

Everyone took their stress relief in different ways. Many of the lower level workers slept, drank, or went out to talk about normal things together. Some of the higher ups were still obsessing over numbers and predictions to keep themselves busy and then crash at the end…

Ritsuo was one of the latter, but not tonight it seemed. Now in a pair of slacks and a dress shirt and tie, he was out with Kari and Katsuragi. He felt like a third wheel. They talked and talked, and never seemed to shut up even as they downed beer after beer. He simply smoked and checked the reports on his phone, drinking every so often.

"Ritsuo! Stop!" Katsuragi said, slapping at his hands trying to get his phone. "Jus… Jus put tha' away. You gotta calm down so you can sleep better. Tomorrow's 'nother day for that shit!" He was obviously drunk, or at least acting so because he knew it made him laugh sometimes.

"No reason not to look at the reports now. Just checking stuff from the other systems. Who knows ya know?" He replied, going back to his phone.

"Man Ritsuo, you sure do a lot for everyone at NERV," Kari said, interjecting and now sitting between them. She was in a slim black dress that showed off her curves, and hardly seemed long enough for her to sit down properly. A stripe down her middle and back had a line of checkerboard that somehow looked perfect for the all black dress. She bounced up and adjusted herself before resting her arms on the bar, looking at the two of them. "What all do you do Ritsuo?"

"I'm the head of R & D to put it basically. Head researcher, and the one who helps make the EVAs. I check on the actual readings around here that we have too." Ritsuo said, trying to find a place to stop.

"So you do all the sciency stuff and push it all together," Kari said, reaching upwards and moving her hands downward in a quick motion, exaggerating her movements as she did, "so us normies can understand it? And you help make the mechs?" She leaned in.

"Well yeah I guess… yeah I guess you could say that…" He tried to look away but couldn't… the allure was too grand. Katsuragi ordered another glass as they continued to talk. About everything. Everything that Ritsuo would divulge. It was tough, but Kari felt she was cracking into the shell that was the little science nerd she hardly knew. They talked of the early detection systems to find incoming Angels, inconsistencies in readings that could mean an attack was approaching, the ways the EVAs moved and how they were repaired, and a number of other things. Ritsuo had never met another who was so interested in what he was talking about. Katsuragi always blew him off and told him that 'he needed to have his nerd talk elsewhere.' Perhaps it was the drinks he kept knocking back, or the fact that Katsuragi left too drunk to stand to go back to his apartment, but soon, Ritsuo was sharing a ride with Kari, and they were now back at his apartment, and soon, farther in, with far less clothing.

The night was long for him, but Kari had just gotten started. The night had just started as they began their second go around, and Kari had slipped a few sleeping pills into his water she had gotten him. Her sway and way of moving were something that Ritsuo would never understand or forget, but as they finished, he felt the wave of ecstasy and exhaustion hit him all at once. With a warm hug and a sheet thrown over them, he passed out, and dreamed of happier times, and a happier life, for the first time in a few years.


	13. Chapter 12

The door shut behind her with a small push of her shorts covered rump. The heat of summer was still stuck on the road and radiating off when she got home. It was three in the morning, much earlier than she expected, so she had changed and stopped at the store before heading home. She popped the microwave meal in and started it up along with her laptop, shoving the flash drive in that she had used during their discussions about the EVA units; at the bar and at his apartment. The transcript of it was being written on its own as the program listened to the recordings. He had said way too much, that was for sure. Kari watched as the texts flew by, paragraph after paragraph.

"Man… just gotta get him drunk and we got all this…" She said going to the fridge and pulling out a half full glass of Whiskey. A few cubes of ice, some cola, and a splash of that, and the microwave dinged. She retrieved her food, and her beverage, and sat down at the computer. "They'll wanna see all this… Once it's done I'll upload it." She said before ripping the top off of her food and swirling her fork around to mix it all together. With noodles twirled around her fork, she lifted the food up and slurped some down with a mighty gulp. "God why is this instant food just so damn good?"

The transcript program wrote on as Kari turned on the television and ate the last of her food. With everything that had gone on, she was surprised that something was being broadcast besides the whole 'huge monster coming to kill us all' news reports she had seen before. An interview with a psychologist, being asked questions about how humans deal with dangerous, intense, or traumatic situations. _"Nothing could be farther from the truth,"_ He said, lifting his hand to wave it a few times with his palm down, _"There are a great number of events that could be dangerous or traumatic to different individuals. Say you have a friend you've just got to know, really hitting it off, having a great time whenever you get together, and your father or mother, who you haven't talked to in over five years or so. You get a call saying that one of them got in a car accident recently and is in intensive care right now. Which one would have a deeper impact on you? Which one would have a bigger impact if the situation was different? How about if you witnessed it? How about if you were in the car with them and experienced the crash? Any one of these could trigger a response, and anyone of them could lead to a traumatic memory that could trigger the symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder."_ The psychologist continued to ramble on about different stimuli and how it affects people differently until Kari changed the channel to a music station. "What the fuck was that? I guess since all this stuff is happening people want some explanations for why they start thinking crazy. Just gotta deal with it. That's all you can do," She said, taking a big sip of her drink before leaning back in her chair. The program dinged to notify it had finished the transcript, and closed itself. "Alright… just gotta… and… sent. They should enjoy that." She said before closing the laptop. "Well… once I'm done with this, I'll hit the hay. Gotta get up and get to headquarters bright and early for that de-briefing. Hope Ritsuo doesn't get clingy or anything." She said with a sigh before downing the last of her drink.

* * *

He tossed and turned but couldn't sleep. Each dream repeated what he heard. The same yells of terror that he heard long ago were reverberating in his head. This time, it wasn't his screams, but others. Soon, he heard his alarm, which gave him some relief in the fact he made it through the night. Tired and drained of color, he slipped his shirt on, as well as his slacks for school, and went out the door. Each step towards the school building seemed harder and harder. He was tired, exhausted even, but he had to do it. He felt like he could have done more, but when the time came, he locked up… Nami had to save him… and everyone else as well.

"What did she do to… change that thing?" Akihiko said to himself as he reached the gate, unaware of how far he had walked and how he got to the school. In the window, in his classroom, he could see them. Kaoru, Reiji, Nami, and Sena, talking… without smiles this time.

 _You have to be strong. For them. You might not have done anything in the fight, but you have to be strong for all of them. They are your friends. They rely on you as you rely on them. You can do this._

He repeated himself over and over in his mind. Once entering the classroom, his felt himself straighten up, and move with a confidence he hadn't felt in a while. He scooted his chair out and kicked himself back next to the others. "What's up? What are you guys up to?" Kaoru gave him a look and sighed. "Well hello Akihiko. Glad to see you are feeling just as good as before."

"Never felt better. How are you guys?" He replied, trying to look at everyone from his leaning angle.

Reiji, Akihiko, and Kaoru seemed to be the most injured in their group, even though they had seen Sena and Nami both receive some terrifying wounds from their battle with the angel. They all figured third and fourth degree burns, and that's what the de-briefing report said, but looking at their hands now… They looked like they had a mild rash from an allergic reaction if anything. They looked perfectly fine. What the hell did that procedure do while they were being operated on? "We're all alright," Kaoru said, giving him a thumbs up, "Thanks to Nami and Sena. They stopped that thing in no time. And Nami… got a big EVA Unit like us now!" She smiled, looking over at the girl in question.

She looked around and nodded slightly, feeling a bit out of place. "Yeah… I… I do. It just kind of… happened. I got scared and… it changed." She held her arm with her hand, and let out a sigh as she looked down at her desk. "It wasn't without pain though… those creatures… tore the limbs off the other EVA I was in… or… well… I guess they tore off the old parts so the new ones could grow? It… it just doesn't make sense."

 _It does. It most certainly does…_ Kaoru thought to herself. _You connected with that mass produced EVA, but your genes in it, and changed it to fit what you are. It's a form that's like your Angel form. It can wield ice for Adam's sake! I guess her becoming a Lilin must have done a number on how her brain works._ "The scientists will figure it out," she said, clearing her throat. "Regardless, you're with the big dogs now girl!" She said with a smile this time.

Nami met the smile and looked at everyone. "I hope we can continue to do good then! Thank you for having me!" She giggled before Mr. Katsuragi walked in, hand on his head and briefcase under his arm. The class all waited for his announcement, but only saw him slump down behind his desk. He leaned his head back and brought a water bottle up to his mouth, sipping at it as quickly as he could. He looked, sounded, and acted exhausted and hung over.

"So… I… have a lot to say…" He slumped back onto his elbows, and held his head in his hands, "A lot of stuff happened yesterday with the angel attack. And we did lose a lot of those in the school… However," He stood up, taking a large gulp of water, and then moved to the front of the class, and gave a very deep bow. "Without you all, we could not have accomplished it. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts. You are the ones who have saved the world. Keep up the hard work, and we will get through this." He raised himself from there, and turned around. "You can all self-study this period. Rest up and talk amongst yourselves. We all need a break right?"

The class congratulated themselves and began talking amongst themselves again, as did some of the other classes that could be heard through the thin walls of the school. The school, while drastically emptier than it had been just the day before, sounded as if hundreds of thousands of adolescents cheered and echoed words of praise to one another. They had survived the attack, and they had all saved the world! It was a joyous occasion wasn't it? Then why did it feel so hollow for some?

"A lot of people are gone…" Nami said under her breath as she gripped her shirt lightly at her chest. It hurt. It hurt more than when she was with them at the onsen. Why did this hurt so bad? All those people… gone… they can't celebrate today, and they won't even see the next day… _Why do we get to celebrate while they are gone?_

A soft hand was on her shoulder then, as she felt the first tear reach the cusp of her eyelid. She looked up and Sena, beaming a smile of understanding, nodded. "I know what you are feeling I think… You… You can't stand that all those people are gone…"

Nami let the tear go as she blinked, letting more take its place as they began to stream. Sena embraced her, and let her cry quietly in her arms. It just felt like the thing to do. Sena felt responsibly for what happened… as did Nami.

 _If only I were stronger…_

 _If only I had done something sooner…_

 _If only I weren't so weak…_

 _If only they knew the truth…_

 _…Sena…_

* * *

Out of all the things that had come from the fight, no one expected a new EVA unit. Unit-S was something that they didn't really understand at the moment, thus why a number was not given to it. The S stood for significant, special, and strange all at the same time.

"What do you make of it Ritsuo?" One of the techs was typing away as he asked the question. "Since it kind of appeared, do you think the occupant made some kind of connection to the artificial soul that was in it?"

Ritsuo stared blankly at the unit, scanning it up and down, taking it all in. What he suggested was a possibility, but it would be like love at first sight that comes to fruition with no… interaction… Or a batter at a baseball game killing the pitcher when he hit the ball back to him… It was a one in a million chance… and they hit the lottery. Scans indicated that it has a much lower operating temperature than the other units. At negative one hundred degrees Celsius, there was some cause for concern. Questions of how Nami had survived being inside it remained a mystery as her body was intact and working perfectly throughout the entire operation.

And still more things were left without explanation. Its entry plug was changed somehow to accommodate the temperature, and the material that was used to construct it was far different than the other mass produced units. It was a mystery that kept everyone guessing. "As 'organic machines' so to speak," Ritsuo said, taking a long swig of his coffee, "this one simply could have 'rapidly adapted'. Although, I have no idea what would have caused the change. That suggestion, while possible… is on the far side of impossible." The technicians and other scientists with him looked up to unit S and pondered as time passed. Risuo went back to the data at his station. Damage reports, system reports for how the overall system at NERV handled the huge workload of all the units reporting and needing orders and power, scans for angel activity, the list went on and on as he shuffled the papers around looking for a printout of the hourly deep scan. It sent out a huge wave of different energies around the world and into space. If anything out of the ordinary bounces back, they know that something is coming. The report always came back with some readings across the scale, but the largest ones are the ones that needed to be addressed. For this report, air pressure values seemed to be fluctuating across the Sea of Japan. "Better get a read on this," He said, taking his coffee and the report to another technician. "Hey…" His brain was moving slower this morning thanks to the strange night he had before. "Ichika. Could you run a test on weather patterns, air pressure, and… I guess… just some images over the Sea of Japan? I gotta get this desk organized and stuff looked at."

The girl took the report and scoffed a little. "Like you'll actually get that desk clean ever. Sure thing boss. Give me a minute and I'll have the report back. What's going on anyway?"

"I don't like it but… It could mean another angel. I doubt it is but…" He gave a long pause and sighed. "Just to be sure you know?"

"Understood sir. I'll get right on it."

* * *

School continued as it had before, but today was mostly for health check-ups and system checks with unit and pilot. As they gathered in the basement to be split up in their groups, Nami was left alone as the sole survivor of the first group of the secondary line in the last fight. Some groups had their entire party with them, and others were missing some, but none were alone like Nami. She stood there, in her new pilot's suit, waiting and watching. A hollow pit in her stomach held itself there as the eyes behind her scanned over her and watched her. Everyone was curious, as to why the first group had been so strong, and there was now only one left. The second in command of the group at that. Rumors spread, regardless of what they thought of her. All over, they said whatever came to their minds; anything to come up with an excuse for why so many of her group, and so many from other groups weren't around.

"I heard her squad fought all of those… things off by themselves. I was in the back under full reserve, so I didn't even see anything. I was close to her when we got in that weird formation. She stabbed her comrades."

"I saw her cut one of those things and then turn around and stab someone in her squad. Right in the units neck."

"Didn't she fight off those things when we were in that formation? She got hurt pretty bad. How is she standing there now?"

"Must have done something to her team so she could live."

Insults came again and again. Just like on the battlefield, how the angels yelled at her when she fought, now the Lilin slandered her just the same. They weren't right, and she knew that. Neither of the groups were. It still hurt just to listen to and think about again and again. Soon however, the time to begin the tests were upon them, and Katsuragi made his rounds to see what groups were still intact and made them anew. Now, the squad numbers were lessened, as were the total number of squads. Once he got to Nami however, he merely placed a hand on her shoulder and nudged her a little. "You can't have your own squad Nami. Sorry, but you gotta move over there." He said, pointing to where Sena and the others were waiting. With a smile, she made her way over slowly, and greeted them with a smile. "Yeah you're over here with us now that you got that cool looking unit!" Kaoru said, with a thumbs up. "You can't think that you were going to be staying in the secondary lines with that huge thing did you?"

Nami shook her head with indecision. "I… I just didn't know what to do. Just… everything's moving really fast I guess. A lot to take in."

Akihiko and Reiji nodded in unison. "Yeah… There's no easy way to take this in… but… we have to deal with it. Those guys are counting on us. We can't look beaten or broken…" Akihiko said, smiling at her. "Just be your normal self. You are with us now. We'll be working you hard alright?"

With a genuine smile, Nami nodded. "I'll be in your care." She said, before turning to Sena, who met her smile with her own. "Let's work hard alright!?" She said, trying to cheer Nami up even more.

"Alright… now that you guys are all in whole groups again; time for tests…" Katsuragi said as he flipped through a notepad. "Squads 1-10, go to testing chamber alpha, 11-20 to beta, 21-…" He kept going and going, until he got to Sena's group. "You know where you guys are going so… Go ahead."

Up the steps in the back and through a hallway, the huge capsule chambers sat ready for an occupant to sit in them. Without much thought, the others went to their designated capsules and sat in them, waiting for their instructions to start. Nami hesitated until she looked at the machines. They all had corresponding numbers for units on the sides. She had been told her new unit number so… she moved to her own capsule and sat in it; Unit Capsule S, which faced the others on the other side of the room. "We repurposed another capsule for a discontinued unit and linked it to Unit S. So… Hope you enjoy it Nami." Katsuragi patted her on the back again, before watching her get into the capsule and going to the control panel. He was alone with the techs today once he looked around the room for Ritsuo. "Guess he's busy?" He said aloud to the techs.

"Seems that way sir," Once replied, "You know him. Said he's going to tidy up his desk with all those reports."

Makito sputtered a giggle out between his lips. "Sure. Right. If he does, maybe he'll find that two-thousand yen I lent him a few weeks ago for a pack of cigs. That's fine I guess… We know what we need to run." With a touch of a button, a speaker came on in the chamber. "You guys ready?"

With a yes from everyone, he initiated the procedure. The capsules closed all at once and the tests began.

* * *

He had never run as quickly as this before. His feet were gliding almost to get to the test chamber. He had already sent two techs to meet with Gendo and with the bridge. They had to prepare already. This was not the time for the tests. They needed to prepare for this… thing. Whatever it was, it could change the air pressure around itself, or alter it in such a way that it was… gone. Either it was a huge vacuum, or the creature was really that large and… strange. Ritsuo ran as quick as he could, but his lungs just couldn't do it. "Gotta… stop… smoking…" he said as he ran around a corner and saw the door to the main testing chamber, and burst through, papers in hand and mouth dry.

"Makito. It's bad. There's… Already…" He tried to catch his breath but couldn't. He coughed a few times and continued as he looked around at them all. "It's another one! It's almost here!"

* * *

The tech slammed through the door to the office as Gendo sat at his desk behind a computer screen. The monitor gave him a soft blue glow as the tech stammered for the first few moments. "Emergency sir! Air pressure and readings over the Sea of Japan came back with huge abnormalities! There's another one coming already! We don't have long before it is close enough to see!"

"Go to the bridge and ready everyone to their posts. We'll mobilize as quickly as we can. I will follow you momentarily." He replied, shutting the screen off as the tech bowed and ran back towards the bridge. Once the door shut, he slammed his hand hard down on the desk, and waited a moment. Thoughts rushed through his mind about the situation. _Seele never said that this was to happen so soon! I thought we had time. Why are they coming so quickly?!_ He shook his head before arching his back a moment, and then pushing himself away from the desk.

"Looks as if our meeting will have to be cut short Kari. We'll have to continue this another time." He said, adjusting himself as he swiveled around and stood up. A woman crawled out and stood up, brushing her legs off and wiping her mouth with her fingers. "No harm no foul Mr. Ikari. I always have time…" She said with a wink before adjusting her short skirt and buttoning up her shirt, "I'll head out before you and get there after you, as to not raise any suspicions. If we get through this, do you think there will be enough time afterwards? I have much I… need to discuss with you still." She layered her words thick with her seductive whimsy as her eyes bore through him with a look of lust.

He shook his head and moved to her, gently placing his hand on her shoulders and moving her out of the doors. "We'll discuss matters later. I must get to the bridge immediately. Good day Kari." And with a slam, the doors shut behind her.

 _Sucked his dick for information and didn't even get anything out of it. What the fuck is up with these angels and their timing? I guess I'll try again later. Headquarters really wants the info on what's stored farther down. He'll tell me. They always do._ She thought to herself as she walked down the hall to the bathroom, angry about the interruption and curious as to what this Angel would be.

Gendo went to his computer quickly and opened up a program. A black screen with red lettering came up. SEELE displayed across the screen for a moment, before a voice was heard. "What is it Gendo?"

"What the hell is going on? You told me we had time!" He said in a strained voice.

"Things change Gendo. Cooperation is needed to continue our plans as well as yours. Just do away with the angel as best you can. We will be watching." It replied. The voice was distorted and shifted to a very low pitch. To Gendo, it was a demon of a person, regardless of the voice it had. "Are we understood Gendo?"

After a long pause he nodded, and calmed himself. "Understood. It shall be done. Instrumentality will not be halted."

"Good. We are counting on you." And with that the window closed itself, leaving Gendo with the same blue glow from the monitor as it did before.

* * *

"I cannot wait! Plans? I simply go in and kill the Lilin that look similar to us! It's simple! I don't need a plan in the least!" Lailah said to herself as she floated over to the land known as Japan. "This is it! This is the place! They shall know true night, and my darkness will envelop them fully! They cannot escape me!"

Her movements were slow, but her ideas were fast. She would cloak the entirety of Japan in darkness. Then, using her true body in the darkness, she will slip unnoticed throughout Japan and find those that have tried to halt the plans of the angels, and kill them. Slaughter them, obliterate them. She will be the harbinger for the new age! The age where they would recreate the world in their image instead! They could be the true rulers of the Lilin's world!

"It's only a matter of time now! Adam damn this body in this form. Once darkness is over them, It will all be over!"


	14. Chapter 13

Just as she sat down and got her orders, the pod closed. Nami sat in the unfamiliar space, waiting for the pod to turn itself on. After a few moments, the air around her seemed to fill with energy as the pod turned on. Screens all around her blipped on with a noise that sounded almost like soap bubbles popping. On the screen, a paragraph began being dictated to her in a somewhat grating digitized voice.

"Hello and welcome to your simulation, regulation, and testing pod! I will be your assistant. To make the experience in this pod as pleasant as possible, you may name me and give me a more fitting voice that you would like to hear. Simply think about the voice you would find most soothing to hear, and simply say the name. You will have three minutes to think about this selection! Good luck!"

The voice left about as soon as it came, and Nami was left with a light blue-green counter on the screen, counting down the three minutes she had to decide. "This is all happening kinda fast… alright… ummm…" She thought and thought, but her mind kept traveling back to something she had only heard once. A man in the convenience store close to her house. His voice carried a bass tone, but felt gentle and strong at the same time. Like a large tree, standing stoically upon a hill, giving enough shade to make summer's bearable and braving the harshness of winter with hardy resilience. That voice was what she kept coming back to. All the man said at the convenience store was something about the store needing to sell more meat buns since he always bought so many… but the voice stuck with her. _And a name…_ "What name goes with that voice? Hmmmm…"

"One minute remaining," Came the voice again.

 _I'd want a name that I can remember easily, and one that fits that voice and image… but… I mean… should I really call the voice… that? Shouldn't it have an actual name? Like… Haruto, Riku, Haru, Kaito, Asahi… ahhhh… um… dammit… I just…_

With a sigh as the timer ran out, she spoke the name that would be her assistant for the foreseeable future. The voice, along with a personality that Nami thought would work well with the voice, answered back once it finished being made by the pod.

"So you had a total of three minutes," It said, in a deep bass tone that Nami thought made her pod rumble, "to give me a name that was suitable with this voice, or just one you thought you could remember easily? Right?"

The assistant let out a sigh and spoke his own name. "Taiju. So out of all that time… you decided to name me 'big tree?'"

"It was really sudden! Let's just do these tests please!" Nami said, very embarrassed and blushing profusely. She felt as if all the blood in her body had rushed to her head with how hot she felt. This was just a computer program, but to hear it being spoken to her like that… it felt kind of nice.

"Alright Nami. Let's get these tests underway then. First we'll just do some simple stuff alright? And don't worry. I'm not mad in the slightest. Just wondering how you came up with that." The program let out a mocking chuckle.

Nami grabbed the arms of the seat she was in and gripped hard. "Let's just start this thing!"

* * *

The multitude of people poured out of the doors into the bridge. Everyone scrambled to get their monitors and headsets on and ready. Vigorous tapping and speaking came from everywhere, readying other stations for the imminent attack from the oncoming threat. Each system came on quickly, and statuses were given for each.

Report after report came through. Environmental stability reports showed that the air, was moving quickly around the area above them, water temperatures off shore were stable, city electrical lines, communication lines, rail, bus, commuting individuals from the day of peril, all were safe and sound… Visual readings however showed… strangeness. What could only be described as a wave of darkness was seen washing over the land. It began at the shore. A solid wall of darkness moved and made its way towards the area. A building would be there a moment, and then gone. Nothing could be seen of it again. No strange readings came from the darkness either. It was just… darkness. Unnatural darkness.

"Report!" Katsuragi said, holding his head with one hand and slipping his jacket on with the other. He looked a little hazy in the eyes, but he was coherent and stable. "Sir! An angel… of some kind must be on its way but… the only thing that's suspicious is this… darkness." The screen came up for a few moments, and then was encased in darkness. No building, tree, or even a car on the road could be seen. No light was around in the slightest. "It's… completely dark sir."

"You've already turned on any emergency generators for the surface? And here? No out of the ordinary electrical readings?" Katsuragi went to the monitor below him to check for himself. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. "That darkness… then… That's the angel itself? All that dark… stuff?"

It didn't make any sense… but that was the only real explanation if they could not get any real readings on it. "I guess we'll find out soon! Five minutes until the darkness is at the edge of HQ!" Said a tech at his station. "Emergency stations now! Prepare for an electrical outage! Get your phones, lights, and any other emergency supplies at your station!" Katsuragi said, as he fumbled through his pockets. He had his phone, a pen light, and some coins for the vending machines in the break rooms. He was as ready as he was. Hopefully the pilots would be as well.

Katsuragi's eyes widened as he turned to the techs on the bridge. "Where are the pilots!?"

"Did you not send out the call Katsuragi?" One said to him. Katsuragi scrambled a bit, but got his footing and began running. "They are still in their training pods! I will get them ready! Call down there to get them out now! We don't have time for this!" All he could think about was getting there with enough time to get them in their units. He moved as fast as his legs and body could make him, but he felt he wasn't going to make it. The training room was a few floors up and away from the bridge. He would have to get through two security doors to get there. _Please let me get there in time._

* * *

The pods were working with their occupants just like usual when the call came through. A jumbled mess of words came across the other line, and the tech could barely make any sense of it. "Slow down. Now what are you saying?" Was what he could get out before the person on the other end continued with what they were screaming about, "Get…. Pilots….!" The words were choppy as other sounds made their way through the receiver. _What do they need? Come on! Have everyone else shut up already!_

"Get them what!?" He said, nervous. _I could lose my job cause of this. All I had to do was watch the pilots and send them to their next stations once they were done. The others all left to do their next shift of stuff but I was told to stay and make sure they get there. Goddammit! I got this job cause it was secure and safe! Now look at this!? What the hell!?_

"Get…. Out… Po—," The line fell silent after that, sounded as if the line was cut. "What the fuck is going on? Are we under attack again? If so… I gotta get them out and ready… Shut down… shut down… There!" Hitting the shutdown button, the screen came up and said that a minimum of three minutes is needed before the pods can be safely shut down. "What the hell? Isn't there an emergency switch somewhere!?" He said, before looking around the panels and consoles for some kind of emergency switch. Katsuragi burst into the room soon after, breathing heavily and sweating all over the floor. His jacket dropped to the floor as he made his way over to the tech. "Did you… Get them… out yet?" He said, before looking up at the pods. Still closed, but awaiting to be opened. The screens all displayed a countdown timer of two minutes left. "Speed it up!" He said, before hitting the shutdown button multiple times. The countdown did not get faster or disappear, but ceased to move. "Dammit! What's going on!? We… We need them out of there now!" He said, before running out the door to the pods. "Sena! Kaoru! Nami! Guys! You need to get out of there and in your Evas! Goddammit open these things!"

The black wall of mass was coming ever closer, and Katsuragi could feel it. Whatever it was, they did not know, but as he saw it creep from the back wall by the observation deck, enveloping the tech, and slowly move towards him, encasing the walls and everything like a moving wall of darkness, he knew that he had failed in getting the pilots out of their pods, and he knew, that this might be the time that they fail. "I'm sorry… everyone. I… I couldn't do it…" He fell to the ground. His legs ached and his chest hurt. Not enough exercise. If he made it out of this alive and still had a job, maybe he would hit the gym more often. He needed to be back in shape. "I promise. I'll be better. Just get us through this… please." He said, before he could feel the blackness move over him. It didn't feel cold, wet, hot, or… anything. It was simply dark. His own hand in front of him, he could not see. He could feel things, and still move his hands along the floor, or was it the wall? Or the pod for that matter? What was he feeling? Was he feeling it? He was in the testing and simulation area, with the pods, but… had he moved?

* * *

"It looks like the simulations and tests have been aborted for now sweetie." The voice came through Sena's pod. As she opened her eyes she could still make out many of the instruments in the pod, but everything seemed… darker. _Did the power go out?_ Sena looked around, and saw the displays showed nothing at all. No feed for the control booth, nothing from the others; everything just seemed to be dark. "Sena… you there?" A familiar voice of her friend came through her ears.

"Kaoru?" She said to the space around her, as a monitor flicked on to a black screen with white lettering across it. 'SOUND ONLY' displayed in big white letters across the screen.

"Awesome. I got through. I'll patch you through to the others too. One sec…" A few noises of movement later, three more screens and three more familiar voices came up, one in mid-sentence. "-ust some kind of experiment they want us to go through. They'll tell us what's going on soon enough. I know it."

"Guys what's going on?" Sena replied, hoping that someone could give some kind of answer.

"That's what we've been trying to figure out," Akihiko said with a quick sigh. "I think it's some experiment they wanted us to be 'unprepared' for."

 _Sure Aki. That doesn't make much sense. Especially after that fight we had._ "What about power failure?"

"Not likely," Kaoru interjected, before continuing. "While these pods are batteries as well if a real power failure had occurred, they wouldn't keep us in here. They would have ejected us most likely. And we would have gotten a report or something from Katsuragi. He was the one watching us… right?"

Everyone put forth their ideas. Back and forth, they thought and thought, messing with their pods, trying to find a way to override the mechanism holding them in, to finding a way to broadcast what was going on. But nothing seemed to be really working besides the pod communication and basic life support. Once their options were exhausted and their brains fried with ideas, Nami spoke up. "Is it… really dark in your pods too? I haven't been in one before, but I thought with all these screens and stuff it would be brighter."

"It is darker than normal. But…" Akihiko gave a sigh. "This is just too much. I wanna stretch out now. Can we get out of this please?"

 _"No. You may not Human."_ The unfamiliar voice said, ringing out in their pods. The voice was the darkness itself, creeping all around them. It sounded near, and far off, deep and light. It changed with each syllable and changed back again once the syllable was spoken. Every word sounded, felt, seemed different, but the same. As if a thousand different mouths were speaking all at once. Everyone fell silent a moment, then spoke once more.

"Did you all hear that?" Reiji spoke first, concern in his voice.

"No pranks. Who was that?" Akihiko replied. When it was met with silence, he spoke again. "Is this some big joke? Who's doing this? Who's out there!?"

"I AM."

The words pierced through the pod, as the darkness seemed to envelope the rest of the inside of the pod. Like a dark ooze that filled it, the darkness rose from their feet up to their neck. The last two monitor screens were all that they could see in front of them. Just as the black ooze slowed to a crawl to come over their head, the screens turned on, displaying two hideous looking eyes that rotated around, looking everywhere inside. Over the communication system, Nami let out a scream. Not of desperation, but of realization. "It's an angel! Don't listen to it!"

* * *

She just always knows you know? One minute, you'll be pissed off, fucking infuriated with everything around you. Job's gettin' to be something more like an abusive relationship 'cause corporate keeps breathing down your neck to fire that one bitch who just can't keep her mouth shut about all the shit you guys do, then you drive home, hoping to get back there to see your kids for a second before they have to go to bed. At least help them with some homework or hear how their little friends did stuff with them. But no, you get behind someone who you probably see every day on the road, or they see you maybe, and all of a sudden, they have no idea how their goddamn car works. They cut in front of people without using blinkers; pass people on the shoulder or sidewalk if there's one there. Or god forbid, they try to reverse to get in another lane when everyone is bumper to bumper.

Then once your home, fuming with anger; you'd punt an infant orphan if it was in your way, you see her. The anger melts away with that smile, that long hair hanging on her shoulder, and those soft eyes.

 _(What the fuck? Who's this?)_

She always knows just what to say to make it all go away. Or she says nothing at all, and you can just feel her go, "I understand. Let's head inside sweetie. You've had a long day." It's bliss. It makes the job bearable, it makes traffic easier, and it makes the life better to deal with.

 _(Yeah it would, but we can't all have that sweet life now can we?)_

I mean, why wouldn't I, Makito Katsuragi, be the happiest man on earth?

 _(Wait what? WHAT THE FUCK?! THAT ISN'T ME! Who the fuck is thinking all this shit? This isn't what I want… is it?)_

Since the angels stopped, we've been happy with our lives. I'm still working for NERV, but now I am office work only; over a team of workers that are an information source for other organizations, as well as giving help to military forces who are still struggling after the end of the Angel Wars.

 _(No. I still work for NERV. I'm not married. I head operations when Angels come down to attack. What the fuck is this?)_

It's been a long time, but this is it. This is my life.

 _(No it isn't. Get me out of here! This isn't what I want!)_

"YES IT IS…"

The voice broke through and felt as if it shook Katsuragi to his core. He felt as if the darkness, all around, and even inside him, was looking at him, judging him, and asking questions. 'An alcoholic like you? A family and a normal job? Don't be ridiculous. You can't have that.' 'A life with a wife that hates your temper, drinking, and has grown to loathe you. She can't run because you provide for them, but she can't stand you. You two made your child, and that was all. Nothing. Else.' 'That will be your life Katsuragi. Your miserable life will, even after all of the things you have accomplished and done, still mean nothing.' 'How could this happen? You hardly have life outside of work, don't you? Ritsuo is your only real friend. Perhaps marrying him would be a better choice?'

"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" He screamed, laying as flat as he could in the space he occupied. Darkness was all he could see, but nothing made sense, and the solid ground was strangely comforting as his mind continued to break and deteriorate.

* * *

The field of flowers looked beautiful as they ran up the hill. Just past it, more and more flowers could be seen swaying in the breeze. Sena ran through them and could see another figure at the bottom, wearing the same white clothes as her. While hers was a flowing sun dress, theirs was a white button down shirt, with a pair of white pants for their legs. Sena hurried to them as she rolled through the tall flowers and finally made it.

"Hey there… Aki…" She said, with a big out of breath smile on her face. "I didn't think… You'd be here."

As the person turned, their red hair blazed with the light of the setting sun. He gave her a small smile, and looked down to her. "I didn't think so either. Come on. The others are close by too. We have to fix this…"

 _Of course. This isn't real. I've been here before. This is where I saw… mom… And she told me about stuff… Maybe Aki is just some kind of construct of my brain? I don't know… I'll enjoy it while it lasts though. That can't hurt, right?_

Sena hurried after him again as he called to her. Her face filled with blush as she chased after him. While it might be a dream, this would still be fun. And if what Aki said is true, she'll get to see Kaoru, Reiji, and Nami too! Why wouldn't this be fun? As they neared the small shack that the others apparently were in, Akihiko turned to Sena and spoke very quietly. "We are going to find a way to get out of here. Alright? We have to stop that… thing…"

The words caught her off guard. "Wait… what?" _Is this a dream? Or… what's going on?_

As the doors to the shack opened wide, Nami, Kaoru, and Reiji were sitting around a table, eating out of a little bowl of mandarin oranges. Each one gave a smile and a wave, as well as a few cordial words of greeting. Reiji, surprisingly, was probably the most animated and energetic of them all, launching the orange pieces into the air, and then trying to catch them in his mouth. "Come on guys! It's fun!" He said, trying to do it again. Once Aki shut the door to the shack, they all looked at Sena a question hanging on their tongues. They all seemed to want to go first, but they all went in order. First, was Kaoru. "Why'd you pick this season and these outfits? I mean really? Summer dresses? This isn't the 40's. Come on girl. At least give us some shorts and some cool top…" She looked down to the floor as a tear crept to the corner of her eye. _Are you serious? I have far more important questions_. The others asked their questions one after the other, but Sena didn't have many answers. "Hold on guys… please… Can I ask something now?"

"Go ahead. I don't know how much we can answer," Akihiko said, looking over to Reiji once more, who had gone back to his nearly emotionless visage.

"What's going on and where are we?" She said, raising her arms up and stretching them to encompass everything around her.

With a heavy sigh and a look to the others, Nami took a deep breath, and explained. "There is an angel attacking Tokyo-3. It has put us in a suspended state of sorts, but it is making us experience dreams of what we want… However… we've all been put in your dream, for some reason."


	15. Chapter 14

They thought as long as they could, but could not come up with anything that could ever explain their sudden appearance in Sena's dreams. As the sun beat down outside, but never seemed to set farther than a third of the way down the horizon, they all sat around the table in the small shack, with Sena curled in a ball facing the wall on a cot. She didn't want to face her friends in her dreams, especially not knowing how long they had been here. _What all have they seen? Hopefully they've just gone through the fields and to the beach but… what else have they seen?!_

"Sena…" the voice was heard but didn't really reach her.

 _Wait if they went to the beach, they probably saw the couple! Oh god… I think… I think it was Mr. Katsuragi and someone else last time… I think… Wait… will it change? Oh god I hope it isn't a copy of me…_

"Seeeena?" Another voice, but she could hardly hear it. She was swimming in her own thoughts.

 _Maybe they went into town! They probably saw all those people smiling, saying all those nice things about the town and to themselves! This is so embarrassing! Oh my god we have got to get out of this as soon as possible…_

"SENA!" Akihiko's voice broke through and shook her out of her trance. She jumped where she lay, springing up to face them. "Huh!? What's going on?" Was all she could say as the others looked at her with smiles and laughter. Akihiko gave a sigh and placed his hand on her head, and patted it a few times, looking down at her. "Do you have any idea of how we… get out of here Sena? Isn't there something like… in the town down there we can get to get us out?" He pointed out the small window to the quaint outskirts of the city below. She turned swiftly to them. "Then… you guys haven't gone down there yet?" A sense of worry left Sena's voice as she spoke.

The others shook their heads as Sena's expression brightened. _They haven't been down there yet! Ahhah! That's great!_ A huge smile gleamed across Sena's face as she stood up quickly and moved to the door. "Follow me guys! We'll take a trip down memory lane in my mind and find a way to get out of here for sure!"

They all exited the house moments later, the brisk summer air whipping at them as they made their way to the town over a hill of flowers. As they reached the peak, a wave of feelings hit them. A single step over, and suddenly their hearts sank and their vision blurred. "What… what's going on?" Sena said as she tried to wipe her eyes of the fog. It had never happened before. Sena had free reign usually in her dreams. She'd run through the field of flowers to the woman in white, go to the beach to see what couple is flirting with each other, go to the shops on the outskirts for that delicious old candy she remembered so well… but she couldn't go this time… She couldn't go to the town. She turned back, and moved to the base of the hill and waiting for the others. Soon, they made their way down as well, rubbing their eyes and some gripping their chests. Sadness, anger, pain, regret, a number of other emotions took a hold of all of them while they were up there, but now… those had washed away. "What… was that?" Kaoru said, rubbing her eyes of the tears that had been streaming down her face. Reiji's eyes looked wide and scared as he tried to control his breathing in a clearing of flowers. Akihiko was hitting his back and massaging his shoulders, giving him words of encouragement. "It was… an emotional block? Or something? I… I don't know… That's never happened before." Sena shook her head, getting the negative emotions out of her. "I guess we can't go that way. Um… We can go to the beach and then over to the town." Everyone followed her just as before. They took the small beaten path down to where the dirt started to become sand. Planks of wood just far enough apart created a path to the main part of the beach, and once there, they could see it. The pitch black ocean rolled its waves into the white sandy shore of the beach. Featureless and void of color, the waves were simply a black mass that moved as the water would. Shock rolled over them as they all looked over to Sena, who was just as shocked as they all were. Sena moved slowly down the beach, each step seeming slower than the last as she took it all in. This wasn't right. Not in the slightest.

 _A black sea? What does that mean? This… is my dream right?_

"Sena, What's up? You've been in a daze for a bit… is everything okay?" Nami said by her, leaning in to look at her closer. "The ocean isn't supposed to be that way. That's a given. Does it mean something to you? Or has it just changed?"

"Sorry… yeah… It… It's changed. It used to be just like home… but…" She stammered as her eyes darted around for the couple on the beach. She could see them in the distance, but couldn't make out who they were. She knew what she imagined herself to be in the dream, but the figures looked… different from here. One was a tall man in business attire, a coat over his shoulder, while the woman looked as if she had some lab coat on. _Wait… No…_ The thought ran through her mind, and she was off. In a sprint, she ran as hard as she could to them; the others yelling after her and trying their best to follow. The black water lapped at her ankles, and the sand stayed sturdy under her feet as she made her way to the couple. As she got closer and closer, she could see who it was, and what was going on. The voices were muffled, and they still seemed a little fuzzy and hard to define, but it was them, no doubt. It was her mother and father. They were yelling at one another, hands flying around, and their faces so close it was hard to tell who was screaming at whom. Tears were rolling down her father's face as he broke away and held his hands up to his eyes. Her mother rested her hand on his back, before turning away, and dropping to her own knees, sobbing. She watched as they continued to sob over and over. Neither of them stopped, and neither of them looked at the other. She didn't want to look away. No matter how blurry she looked; she wanted to see her mother. Memories of here were little, but she knew she was a kind person. What could she possibly be arguing about with her father? What was going on? What happened? _Is it my fault?_

Just as the thought got to her mind, the water seemed to creep up around them. It coated them in a darkness that was unnatural. Sludgy and strange, it dripped off of them in globs. The sobs could still be heard, but they were twisted and unearthly. Her mother or father would never make those noises. _What's going on?_

Her mother who was closest to her reached upwards, grabbing at Sena's dress. She pulled her down, getting her face as close to her as she could. The coldness of her touch sent shivers down Sena's spine, but what she saw before her terrified her even more. Dark sockets where eyes once where looked to her longingly for something. Her mouth lay agape with the same hollow existence that occupied her eyes. Her skin was a graying color that made her seem like a haunt or specter rather than her mother. "You are why I am gone Sena…" The voice was hollow and dark, but reminiscent of her mother. The sweet sounds and happy tone was gone, and the raspy darkness that spoke to her then was penetrating her mind. "YOU KILLED ME SENA!"

Something shook her before her eyes darted to her friends. "What the hell are you doing Sena?!" Akihiko said, as he was gripping her shoulders tightly. "Don't just run off like that! We don't know where we are going! Okay? You have got to keep it together!" Fear was all that was on Sena's face at the moment; the same fear from so long ago that Akihiko had practically forgotten it. She was scared so much that she was going back to what she was. The timid, terrified, and easy to manipulate Sena from so long ago was showing through, and it was not a good sign.

* * *

 _Snap out of it._ He thought to himself. _We don't need Sena to go back to that. She's fine the way she is!_ He stood back and let her recover as the others caught their breath. She looked up to him, eyes wide and scared. "Wha… what? Where do we need to go?" She said, shakily and terrified. Something that she saw shook her deeply, but Akihiko couldn't see what it was. He didn't see anything in front of her; just a small inlet where the black water had gathered. "What did you see Sena? You can tell us. It's alright."

She looked down to his feet, then to the sand, and mumbled. She wouldn't speak louder than a soft whisper. She looked back to the small inlet of water and then back to them. After a few moments of her gathering her composure, she spoke a bit clearer, and louder. "My… parents were… fighting there… Because of me. It's my fault."

The others couldn't speak much to the subject, but Akihiko had much to say. He forced his own thoughts and words back, trying to keep his own composure. "Look… Sena…" Kaoru said, walking up closer to her. Sena backed up a bit as she approached as if she were an animal; hurt and afraid. Kaoru reached out a hand to her, and closed her eyes and gave her a bright smile. "Everything's going to be alright Sena. I promise. We will get through this."

Sena moved slowly, and soon reached out and touched her fingers with Kaoru's own, before clasping her hand in her friend's. Kaoru raised her up slowly, telling her over and over words of reassurance. Once on her feet, she could move on her own, but it was still slow and laborious. "Sena, where can we go to rest in town? There should be a shop or something close by right? Maybe they have some sweets we can try?" Sena looked up a bit as Nami talked to her as they walked. She lifted her hand meekly and pointed, her hand shaking as it did, to a few shops that were right on the border of sand of the beach and the concrete of the road. With a bit more energy in her step, she walked forward to one; an older looking white and blue striped store that looked quite larger than the other buildings. As they neared, they could see the familiar lettering and name above it; Lawsons. As they walked in, the clerk greeted them, and they began their adventure through the aisles.

Sena brightened at the snacks and drinks as she rifled through looking at them all, showing them to the others. Long discontinued drinks and convenient foods gathered in her arms, Sena moved around to everyone, letting them try as much as they wanted. She seemed cheerful, and back to normal for the most part. Something still gnawed at her mind however, and Akihiko could see it. Snacking and drinks done, they exited with a sack of items in tow, and made their way down the street.

They walked and walked, reaching a familiar hill that laid close to Sena's house outside of her mind. "Sena, do you want to go to your house?" Kaoru asked, before heading that way herself. "No reason not to stop by. Maybe we can find something to get us out of here…" She offered no objected as she drank away at the soft drink she still had. A few knocks at the door with no answer later, they were inside the house from Sena's childhood. She still seemed timid and 'off', but where they were, and what was going on; everyone felt a bit off. What were they right now? Asleep? Awake in a dream? Was this their physical body? They sat in the living room and pondered as they took in the surroundings. Looking at it now, not much had changed about the house. Things had been updated, but everything still looked relatively the same. It felt strange to many of them.

"Let's look around. There's gotta be something here that can help us get out right?" Akihiko said, stretching a bit as he stood up. "We'll spread out and check the rooms we can. I'm going upstairs. That alright Sena?"

She hesitated as everyone turned to look for her answer, but she soon nodded slowly. "Just… don't go in mom and dad's room."

A puzzled look passed along their faces, and Akihiko pressed on. "What's in there room we can't see? That could be our way out Sena. We have to. We have to search everywhere."

* * *

The perfect son. That's what she wanted. One to follow in her footsteps of 'The TRUE Next Step in Evolution," "Biological Engineering, Cybernetics, Creating new Creatures, and More," and of course, "The Savior of the World, The All-Around Researcher?"

She wanted someone that was as smart as her brilliant mind. Someone she could collaborate with and not feel so superior to that she may just off herself. She hardly spoke to me. She never told me who my father was, nor guided me into any decisions. She was never a mother. She was never there. She just… hung over me and watched me grow. I wanted some interaction. Some kind of love. But all I felt was indifference. So… I decided to try and be like her. It's all I could think of. 'Maybe if I'm like her, she'll talk to me. Want anything to do with me.'

That's a lie. I wanted to be better than her really, so she would take notice of me. So I studied. All through middle school, high school, I studied and studied until I got into something I thought insane. I was seventeen when they told me I had the mind of a genius, and that I should try for many different subjects. 'They' were NERV. Or what was to be NERV. Gehirn was a group that was looking for top minds in every field. My mother was a part of the company as their head scientist and researcher. I had gone to their base before… They told me to. They said my mother had something to show me…

A fucking computer she made that 'was her.' Who the hell does that? Goddammit. What a fucking narcissistic bitch. I couldn't stand her. She told me about these things they were making as well. The whole time she talked, all I could do was sit and listen.

And I loved it. She was talking to me, and I talked back. She told me about these machine things she was making. Robots. Genetic copies of people with metal parts that moved like a human body, but with different DNA, and at a huge size. It was incredible! She was talking to me! She was excited about her projects, but she was talking to me about them! It was incredible!

And then she died. She fucking died what felt like days after that. I felt only one emotion, and that was anger. I couldn't understand why she just… died. I wanted to talk to her, I wanted to tell her about my life, what I was doing… but she just… died… I wanted to do things with her, I wanted her to be a mother! BUT SHE JUST DIED!

"We aren't getting anywhere with this Ritsuo. I already know about all that but what do you think is the reason for your sudden drop in GPA? You've been at the top of your classes for the past three years… Then suddenly you failed for an entire day. That incident was so long ago. That could not be it could it?" The school councilor looked over to Ritsuo as he sat in his chair, holding up a notepad with his knee crossed over the other. He was scribbling something down. From the looks of it, he was drawing pictures. Ritsuo knew what this blockage was, and how to fix it. If they left him alone, he could fix it. But they kept making him go to these sessions with this school counselor who hardly even had a bachelor's. Idiotic.

"I think our time is done now Doctor. I'll be seeing myself out, and I won't be back. I've told you my problems, and I know why I did what I did. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to be somewhere." He said, before taking out a cigarette and lit it as he left. The doctor paid him no mind, but let out a large sigh once he left as the door shut. Ritsuo heard it, but paid it no mind.

Ritsuo made his way down the stairs and stopped at the landing before noticing a couple in the stairwell, getting quite close. _Dammit. It's them again. They are always here after these sessions. Are they spying on me? This stairwell… isn't crowded ever… I guess they are smarter than they look._ They were both… familiar, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

 _That's Katsuragi. What the hell? Why is this memory blurry? That was when I finally got to talk to the two of them together… What's going on?_

Ritsuo felt his mind running in circles. He was reliving memories in different ways. Nothing made sense, but he could still somewhat make heads or tails of it. This wasn't reality. It was something like a dream. He was still awake, at the console in NERV. "This angel," He spoke, and he could barely hear his voice through the dream, "This angel is making us relive different versions of our past. What the hell!?" He fell to the floor, in reality and in the dream. He landed hard to the landing, as Katsuragi and Kari looked up to him, and began moving towards him. "Oh look, it's that nerd!" Kari said, laughing as she did. _What? That's… she's called me that before… but not like that._ "Makito~! See if he has some cash on him! I really want a new top!"

 _What the fuck?! They never did this!_

* * *

Sena was blocking the door with her body as they came all stood in front of it. "We have to get in there Sena. This may be what we need to get out of here. Get out of the way or I am moving you." Akihiko said as the others stayed behind him. She stood there defiantly. "Mom and Dad said no one gets to go in their room! You can't go in there!"

Akihiko moved forward and grabbed her arms, lifted her up and gave her to the others. Kicking and crying loudly, she yelled to make them stop, but they couldn't. They needed to check the house as much as they could. If this room was sealed off, that means it could help them get out of here. They hated doing this to her, but she would not let them by once they found the room. This was the only way. As the door cracked open, a wave of black mist seemed to pour out of the room, rolling through the house's upper floor and down the stairs. It wasn't like water, but it wasn't fully like mist either. It had some density to it, and could be kicked around. "No time guys. Let's get in and check to see what's around there." With a nod, they all came in at once, dragging Sena in with them. She protested, but was soon silenced once they got inside and shut the door. The black stuff had dissipated inside and was being blown out and kept away by fans and a myriad of other things. There, sitting in a chair in the same dress that Sena remembered in her last dream with her, Sena's mother sat with a large smile on her face. "Hey guys," She said, waving to them all. "Welcome to Sena's dream. I know it's been strange. But you guys are going to have to get out of here somehow. That black gunk is bad news."

The others were speechless at how she looked. An older Sena sat before them, smiling brightly at them all. She was beautiful. There was no doubt about that. As they stood there, still in shock. Sena brightened and moved over to her, leaping into her with her arms outstretched. Her mother caught her and embraced her. "It seems you've all been taking good care of Sena. Thank you for being harsh with her sometimes as well," She flicked her daughter's nose with her finger softly, "Sometimes she needs it."

Sena looked at them all, her eyes wide and bright. "We'll get out of this guys! I know we will! With mom here to help, we'll get out of here in no time!"

* * *

Beaten up a bit, but still able to move, Ritsuo got up from the stairwell floor and moved to the railing. He felt the spots that got hit on his body. Bruises lined his sides and ribs. His wrist forearm felt broken, or fractured at the least, and he felt that one of his eyes was swollen and almost shut. "So the damage and injuries I take in this dream are…" He spit out some blood on the stairwell, "They're reflected to the real world. I… I need to find a place to patch myself up and get all this sorted. Maybe there is a way I can get out of this on my own." Ritsuo said, as he walked down the stairs slowly. "Dammit. Who knew Makito was such an asshole and dirty fighter?" He cracked a smile, before coughing a few more times.


	16. Chapter 15

The sight was… off putting; but the entirety of this situation was just as off putting. Inside Sena's dream, and possibly everyone in Tokyo-3's dreams for that matter, something was attacking them psychologically. Everyone could only think of one thing it could be: An Angel. Honestly, what else could it possibly be? So far, the last Angel's had been simple, but no one knew their true capabilities. This could just be something that this one could do, or something that they all could do now that they had finished off a few of them. The thought hung in everyone's minds, except for two. Sena was off in another world entirely now with the shock at the beach, but comforted like a babe now that her mother was here in her room, looking just a beautiful as she remembered. Skin as soft looking as it felt to touch, with deep green eyes that looked like a dense forest of calm trees. You could lose yourself in them with just a glance, and feel comforted more in that moment than in the warmest embarrass of another. It was daunting to even look at her at times; for fear that you would anger her in some way. No amount of beauty like that could ever come without some temper or strong views of any kind; but she seemed to be the exception. Amidst the laughter and happy voices of Sena and her Mother, Nami was deep in thought of who it could be that would do all of this.

She raced through her mind, remembering each angel she could. Her memory of that time was fuzzy, but she could still make out some things. The judges, Michael, Gabriel, the big names she could easily picture and remember… but some of the lower ones… were hardly there or gone. _Something having to do with… dreams? Sleep? Dreams maybe?_ Lost in thought, she looked around at the room to help jog her memory somehow. The walls were lined with pictures drawn by a child, walls of text on pages filled entirely of information on Evangelion research and information on angel anatomy from the first that fell, to pictures of the Ikari family in various places. They all looked happy, and healthy. What had happened her Sena's mother that would cause her to just… leave. Nami shook her head and went back to the notes. While Kaoru and the others sat dumbfounded still, Sena's mother moved over to her. "You are an angel are you not? It's been a while since I've seen one as a person. You all do so well at making it so believable." She said as she lifted Nami's arm and looked around her. "You very much look like a high school girl to me." She moved around Nami's body, poking, lifting, and pinching parts of her here and there. _Wha?! P-p-please STOP!_ She thought to herself as the probing hand of Sena's mother Yui glided across her, inspecting the specimen before her.

"That'll be enough for now. Just wanted to see is all." She gave Nami a smile. "In this dream state you are what Sena has seen or sees. So all I really have to go on is her senses. But, just as her, I sense nothing wrong with you all. Now, onto the matter of getting you all out of here…" picked up her glasses from the table and began looking through notes that were on her desk. "A hostile angel must have put everyone to sleep, and because of the nature of the tests you are going through, you are all 'attached' to your Unit in some way… correct?"

 _Huh? Are we?_ Nami thought to herself. It was said that their tests were ran with their Unit's in mind, but not that they were completely hooked up directly to their interfaces. If that were the case, wouldn't it be the same as them sitting in their entry plugs?

"If that is the case," She continued, "Then it is not far off to say that due to you all running your tests and whatnot, you are all hooked up to a central system that carries your inputs and your information to your Units and then back to the research and monitoring deck that is close by. Therefore, couldn't you all simply… use your Eva's and destroy the creature that's causing everything, waking you all up in the process?"

The idea was farfetched if not ludicrous. To everyone there, this woman, who was nothing but a figment of Sena's dreams now, expected them to believe that this plan of hers could work. With everything that had gone one since their tests began, this was hardly one of the craziest ideas, but still, it sounded impossible. How were they to interact with their Units in the first place? Just as a few began to voice their thoughts, Kaoru spoke up.

"Wait… This… this could work." She said earnestly. "If there was a way for us to connect with our units, we could… move them on their own in the real world, with us being in them here. So… if we just go to where they are, we might be able to get in them and then get out of here!"

The group began to converse on ways to enter NERV from the house, and on and on they argued about the best course of action. Reiji, not participating in the argument, moved to the window and looked around outside. The same landscape seemed to stare back at him. The same orange sky with a blackened sea, and the same picturesque view all around felt eerie; but inviting. He shook his head a bit, looking now to the blurred figures walking the streets. Everyone was vague in shape, height, gender, everything. They were just masses that looked a bit like people. Sena remembered a lot of people from her childhood, but it seemed many of these street people were not as memorable as she once thought. A passerby, she seemed to remember the color of their shirt, and maybe his bad haircut, but nothing else, so colors, shapes, and body structure were filled in for her. All around, they all looked different, but the same as well. One did stick out however. A boy with black hair, down an alleyway by a store that was alive with activity. Reiji could barely see him, but his grey shirt, and dark shorts contrasted easily with the orange light cast around. His black hair hung low on his face, and only one eye could be seen. If an eye it was. A black hole with a rim of white is all that could be seen. He hid himself behind a piece of machinery attached to the house. Reiji felt something pull at him, in his mind and his body. This creature that he saw, this boy, was trouble that they needed to watch out for. The tug came again, and Akihiko had spun him around.

"You off daydreaming again? You alright?" Akihiko asked, as the recipient responded with a nod and moved over to a different spot. "What are we doing now?"

"The best route seems to be the one right here," Sena said, speaking now much more like her usual self. "The place where I first entered down the alley to get to NERV. We can use that elevator. If this place is my dreams, it's bound to be there. I've used it plenty of times."

"You sure it's there though?" Nami said, looking out the window.

"It has to be. If not there… then we'll need to go to the school." She replied, hanging her head a bit.

"Haven't used any of the other entrances have you?" Akihiko said with a laugh. "We'll be fine. Let's get going. The sooner we fix this, the better." A round of affirmatives came from everyone as they gathered themselves. As they began to leave, something shook the building. It felt like a small earthquake, but it was enough for them to take notice. The lights inside the house, dimmed, and went out, and the sun, seemed to set just below the horizon. The orange color of the landscape now changed to a darker color, with reds at first and then reaching to the blue darkness of night. "Everyone, stay calm." Yui said, standing up by the door and moving into the hallway. "Something is here, and it is looking for you all. We have to move quickly and quietly. Understand? We'll go together. It's time to stop this thing."

* * *

The memories were something that he cherished, but at the same time, he could hardly bear. A happy marriage… two scientists joining in life and creating a child, all while researching something world changing and life threatening. Days and nights, long days and nights of constant research, fights on what was right and wrong, figuring out just what their benefactors wanted, what they were really after, and why the wanted it so badly. But then… it was finished. Mostly finished.

Evangelion. A creature that was to combat the angels that were coming. That was all that they knew. They had created a biological weapon to combat creatures that they had been told were coming, by a faceless entity of knowledge. Well, more to the point, Gendo provided the orders from the faceless entity, and distributed it amongst the scientists and workers. Once Unit-01 was nearing completion, it was time for the fatal experiment to commence. She had even brought along Sena, to show her what all good she had done in creating something that would protect mankind.

The experiment backfired. A fatal accident. A merging of Yui's being into Unit-01. They tried to recover it… But… even that twisted and morphed into something different. A near perfect copy of her, with a tiny twist. Gender. Yui's genetic code had lost a small bit, and an X formed into a Y. Reiji was now a being… a being with the same looks as Yui had when she was younger, and male. He played it off as a son of an acquaintance that he was taking care of for the time, but soon, people wondered. Did he adopt? What happened to Yui? Divorce and possibly a new son from the new wife? Was Sena alright?

What happened that day? Where did Yui go?

The questions surrounded him, and his new assistant to the project suspected him of much as well. However, he swayed her. Ritsuo was with her today, watching his mother perform her work, and hear about all the things he could hardly grasp. A fresh high school student, hoping to excel in the same field as his mother, and a future researcher at NERV. He could never surpass his mother though, even while studying and researching beside her. Behind her. Always a step behind and waiting in her shadow. A near copy is what he became…

Gendo looked around him. _This is… a dream is it not?_ He thought to himself. _Relieving my life. The dream I have had over and over. Yui…_ He looked down at the woman in his arms now. She was beautiful, but not Yui. It was Ritsuo's mother, Naoko. She seemed tired from something as she lay there in his arms, wrapped in blankets on the bed that was used in her office. He could still feel what they had done. The release he experienced was still fresh on his mind and body, and the feeling was so familiar. But it wasn't what he wanted. It was a need that was fulfilled. That was all. He blinked for a moment, and found himself holding the same woman again, but this time her body was limp in his arms. Blood covered his body, and above him, he saw Ritsuo looking down on him. _It was when she jumped. Naoko… She…_

He looked away a moment, but something pulled at his collar. A hand covered in blood. As he turned, he heard the warped and distorted voice of a crushed windpipe from the still bleeding head of Naoko. "Was I not good enough of a replacement for you Gendo? I could do everything Yui could do. Why didn't you love me the same!? WHY?!"

He tossed the body off of him. As she hit the ground, another body fell from the ledge where Ritsuo was. And another. And another. They fell quickly, splatting with the same bone crunching and flesh rupturing sound as the next. As they hit, they moved over, and began their advance with the first. Crawling towards him slowly, speaking to him in the same strange tone. He got to his feet and looked on. In the distance he could see her; Lilith. Is that where his salvation lied? Would she save him?

* * *

They moved down the stairs in quiet unison. The something was rummaging through the kitchen and lower rooms. They had a clear shot to the door from the stairs, and they took it. Reiji and Akihiko leapt down the stairs and took a small table from the hall holding pictures and things and thrust it down the hallway to block anything that might be coming, and then followed the others out the door. Outside, black masses that looked almost human fumbled walked the streets as before they came, but this time, they appeared to have some mission; as if they were searching for something. Their attention would move all at once to one place and another. Everyone looked around to make sure they had enough clearance to move, but there was no time to dawdle. Sena took them and ran around the corner, and looked all she could for the poster. _Where? Where? It's gotta be here. I can't… I have to get my friends out._ She thought, as she fumbled over the wall. Her fingers touched rough paper, and as she pulled, she could barely make out the strange flyer she remembered from before. A button lay under it and she pressed it. The wall moved away, and inside they went. With quick movements, everyone made it in, seemingly unnoticed.

With a heavy air all around, lights flickered on and everyone was gasping. Mostly from the fear of what was coming after them than the exertion of moving from the house to the alley. Yui clapped for everyone for a moment. "Great job everyone. Once we are done there, we'll head straight for the entry plugs. You guys can get changed, and I'll get you in your units!"

The elevator lurched and began moving down, and everyone gathered themselves again. Nami looked over to Yui and Sena, looking at how they were interacting. While Sena had changed much from what she had been when Nami first met her, she was completely different when talking to her mother. She was expressive, engaged, and most of all, happy. In conversations with her and the others, Sena always had a bit of reserve when speaking, like she didn't want to show all of her true colors. It was as if she didn't trust Nami and the others. But with her mother here, she was so open and vibrant. To Nami, it was as if Sena was glowing, being herself.

The elevator stopped. Nami had been in a trance by their interactions the entire time. She shook herself out of it and walked over to the exit. Inside, the dark and disgusting smell of death hung in the air. "What… what is this?" Akihiko said, before raising his shirt to his nose. Walking through the halls, bodies littered the floor, and the smell intensified. "Wha… who are these guys? Why are they dead?"

Yui, unaffected, knelt and moved one of the bodies around. It was clothed in a familiar uniform of a high schooler. One of their school mates in fact. From their class. "Sena… I know it's tough," Yui stood and moved over to her daughter, "Sometimes things happen that you can't explain, and usually we don't want those to happen, but you have to accept them. These people… You did your best… their deaths… are not your fault."

Sena looked around and nodded, moving forward. The bodies didn't disappear, but Sena seemed to have some resolve. "Alright mom. I'll do it. We… we have to or more people will be hurt. Let's hurry to NERV and get our Units…"

The glow that Nami saw faded from Sena. She looked dejected, sad, and somehow; alone. Sena led the group ahead, unshaken by everything around her now for the moment. Without so much as a whisper from everyone, they made their way through halls and larger rooms until they reached the entrance to the main area proper. There, they met them again, the black human like figures, wandering around and searching. Together, they moved as a group, stealthily and quietly as could be. Akihiko lead them through the complex maze of areas, and eventually, they were at the command center, where Sena's father, and his team, including Risuo and Makito sent them information on the fights with the Angels. The sight was strange when it was so empty, with all the equipment on and ready for the next attack. The screens showed very graphic images; some familiar to the others, but the images mostly look like they were very young memories from Sena. Running through a field with her mother, having a picnic with her family, and seeing her mother go into a lab, giving her a large smile and telling her everything would be alright.

Sena turned away, and moved to the hallway. "Let's go. We have to get to the Units."

Akihiko took the lead again, and moved through hall after hall until they arrived at the entry plug room, with the plug suit rooms off to the side. "Finally. Let's get in this and get out of this dream world!" Kaoru said, leaping into the room quickly. Nami followed quickly, and Reiji and Akihiko went into the male side after a few moments. Hanging back, Sena slowly made her way there, but stopped. "Mom… will I be able to see you again once we are out of here?"

Quiet permeated the air. The only noise was from the air flowing through the building and the breathe that hung in their bodies. Yui hung her head for a bit, and then gave her daughter a smile. "Sena. You can see me at any time in your dreams—."

"I mean when we wake up… Will…. Will I be able to see you, when I wake up from this?"

"Sena! I will see you again! I know I will… I may just be in your dreams, but I am alive… You just have—."

"I just have to what? Believe that you are alive? Just… trust dad? How could I trust him after… after he…" She couldn't finish it. She ran to her mom and went straight into her arms. Her mother let her cry and cry as much as she wanted into her shoulder. She felt so real. Her touch was so soft and her laugh and smile looked and sounded so real. Sena didn't want to leave her mother that she hadn't seen in so long…

 _Please… come back mom…_

With a kiss on the forehead and a gentle pat, Yui walked her daughter to the female plug suit room. Once there, she went to the deck close by, and began running the necessary programs to get them ready to go. Soon, everyone was ready, and in their entry plugs, and soon after, the process began.

* * *

The Units all seemed to move in unison. The sound of their movement on their own sent alarms blaring throughout NERV. Many of the technicians and specialists awoke from their engaging nightmare, unsure of what the situation was in the deep darkness around them. All they could hear was the blaring signs that the Units were moving, and engaging something on their own.

Sena and the others shot out of the ground from their launch area, and searched for the cause of the blackout and nightmares. A creature hung above the city, with threads of light radiating out from its center. It almost looked like a spider of some kind, with a large mass on its back. It looked occupied by its happenings. They converged on it, and took it down easily. Progressive knives, punches, kicks, they brought it to the ground, and destroyed it. With the darkness lifted, and everyone out of their nightmare lands, the units ceased movement, and stood motionless in a circle above ground around a handful of buildings.

The pods opened in the testing chamber, and Makito Katsuragi was beside Sena's, lying on the floor with blood on his hands and his body curled up tightly, his knees to his chin. The nightmares had gotten to him, just like many others. Sena stayed in her pod, nearly motionless and quiet. She was not the same once the pods opened. Now was not the time though. They needed questions answered. Too many questions were flying about to that they had no leads on at all. Why were the attacks coming so quickly now? Was this to continue? How did that one affect everyone's minds with dreams? How did it know that that could debilitate everyone? How could it know what Sena's life was like and how to manipulate it as such?

Sena didn't want any of the answers. All she truly wanted was to see her mother again. They all exited the pods and moved to a debriefing room, and waited, as per the orders of Gendo Ikari.

* * *

He took a long sip of coffee as Makito was led into the room. Ritsuo sat, bandaged and bruised, with a solid purple black eye peering around the room as best it could. The pack of cigarettes was emptied, and coffee was the closest addiction he could get to calm his nerves. "Drink up Makito. You gotta go talk to all the kids that went through this too."

Makito sat with a blanket around him and a hot cup of coffee in his hands. He lifted it and took a long sip before blinking a few times, and heaving a large sigh. "What… what was that?" He rubbed his eyes before looking over at Ritsuo. "Man you look like shit," He let a giggle slip through his lips. Ritsuo tried to laugh, but couldn't due to his ribs being bruised as well. With a wince of pain, he smiled back at Makito. "You look pretty torn up yourself." Makito's arms were bandaged nearly to his fingers, and they were already stained with blood. His neck had marks of someone chocking him and his hair seemed matted here in there, a reddish tint shinning in the light. They both were battered and broken men who had gone through things in their mind they did not fully understand. And now, they were trying to piece things together.

"So… how'd this all happen? What was this ability? And why did an Angel show up so soon? Gendo said that we still had like… a month or so… right?" Makito said, sipping away.

Ritsuo nodded, and added, "That's right. That's just speculation though. From how the last Impact and progression of angels happened. This one… could steal thoughts and use them against us or something."

Makito perked up and leaned in, "What happened in yours?"

Ritsuo caught his gaze and seemed to back up a bit. While it was all in his head, the image of Makito's grin, and in that pose, reminded him of a scenario that happened in his mind. The interrogation for money, with Kari sitting behind him, giggling and asking in a cute voice if she could have some new boots or socks with the 'nerd's money'. It hurt, both physically and mentally. It still grated at him, but he knew this was a different Makito. He told him all he could.

Makito sat back and let out a big sigh. "That… That kinda hurts." He smiled at his friend who sat across from him.

"It's what happened. And it's how I felt about you guys when we first met. I was going to finish school and you guys were just some… punks that were in the stairwell. Just so happens I came across you guys and we became friends." Ritsuo laughed a bit, wincing as the pain came.

"When you tripped and twisted your ankle, we were more than happy to help. Didn't want to let the best student since his mother get hurt at college now would we?" He let out a laugh alongside Ritsuo.

"How was yours?"

Makito drew into himself for a moment. He cleared his throat and began as best he could. "It was me thinking about having a family and settling down after everything. Without angels, without all this fighting. It was… weird. Like the kind of weird you weren't expecting. That wasn't life for me. Everything I'd grown up around was… about angels and the EVA's. Studying over all the Impacts and all the fighting that had gone on to combat them and my father's research and… and… It was all too much. A perfect family? That all can't happen after this is all over. It turned sour once I realized what was going on. A neighbor was murdered. The wife I had left me. The kids I had abandoned me. I lost the job I had… It was brutal." He paused a moment and took a long drink and sighed again. "Life was what my dream or whatever was about. And it was scary… I couldn't handle it."


	17. Chapter 16

Something was off about it all. The room felt colder and colder the longer they sat in it. The air was a normal and pleasant temperature, and it hadn't change the entire time they were in there. Akihiko, restless in the small room, walked around and moved as much as possible, while many of the others simply sat or rested as best they could. Their minds felt slow and unresponsive, and their heads were filled with quite a lot of information and questions. Many felt as if they didn't have answers, or they wouldn't be given to them easily. How did this Angel attack them inside their own minds? And how were they able to defeat it? How was Sena's mother, of all people, able to lead them to victory or give them such an idea? Was she still alive somewhere? Were the angel's attacks going to come quicker and quicker now? Summer had just ended, and after a month, three angels had assaulted them nearly one after the other. Was something even more horrible on the horizon for them? Were they going to survive?

 _Where are you mother? I need you more than ever now…._

 _Who's coming next? Can we win this next fight?_

 _Who am I? Why do I feel so… empty?_

 _Strength couldn't save us and now we hardly could save each other. Why am I so powerless?_

 _Will my plan stay in motion? Will Sena be alright?_

 _At all cost, we cannot fail. What is next and what is our plan?  
_  
Sena let out a large sigh, as she looked around to the others. Kaoru and Nami were the only ones to pay her any mind, while Reiji and Akihiko were staring at the floor and at the wall, deep in contemplation. "So… What was all that?" She broke the silence finally. With that, the air seemed to go back to normal, and everyone seemed to feel the tension in the air melt away. Everything they had experienced with Sena up until this point; it had all felt normal. They were getting her out of her shell, but after witnessing the deepest parts of her mind in their last battle, it felt as if she was still hiding something. Much had been revealed about her past, but many things were still hidden; things the others knew she didn't want to talk about. She missed her mother terribly, and the thought of her being dead was too great for her to bear, but it seemed she was lightening up as she realized her friends were around to help her through such things. Akihiko and Reiji both broke their stupor and turned to look at her, paying attention now.

"We were in your head. Apparently," Kaoru said, somewhat lightheartedly to hopefully keep the mood from souring. "Is that how you remember your part of town looking when you were little?"

"That's what my mother said, but it's more what I was told about," She said, looking to the others. "I don't remember much from that time, but in the short amount of time I remember speaking to my mother and father about things before mother disappeared, they told me about how small our part of town felt when I was first born. They told me about how we got that ice cream close to the house fairly often. Walked on the beach, everything. Even the little shack with the flowers… It was farther out… but I do remember the flowers always being so beautiful. It's strange though…" She stretched, pushing her palms out in front of her as her fingers interlocked, "That angel… how could it have gotten inside of our heads… well… my head like that?"

Nami let out a sigh this time, and hesitantly spoke up. "Well… there's these… four… angels. They used to be protectors of certain things on the earth. One to protect the land, and what lies beneath it, another for the sky and the night, another for the oceans, and the songs that nature makes, and the final one… was supposed to protect the creatures and those that lived atop the land."

The group looked puzzled at her as she spoke. Out of all of them, only two really knew what she was talking about. "You're going to have to explain a bit. What do you mean? Why'd that last one sound so sketchy?" Akihiko said with a laugh.

She tried to wrap her head around explaining it as best she could and gathered her thoughts. "Before the last impact, there were guardians for the earth. Those four. Each of them ruled and protected a part of the earth from too much environmental harm, or they distributed harm to help ensure the people here took care of the earth properly. After so long, they just kept… I guess… one upping each other? They made it into a contest almost, but they always had one angel to answer to, and that was the final angel that protected the creatures of the land. Well one day, after all of their messing around and causing destruction, the last angel had enough, and just… went on a rampage. Soon, the other angels were hardly alive and with bloodlust in his eyes, the final angel nearly dealt a killing blow to them all. The Council came down from above, stopped the whole thing, and sealed them all in their respective areas as punishment. Once they were able to prove themselves protectors again, they would be free. Apparently, that time is now." She said, looking at them all. "That's the gist of it. Aside from my time up there, I have no idea what the council is thinking letting these guys rampage everywhere. I didn't even think they would let them out to try and… wipe everyone out."

"Well from what you said when you joined us…" Kaoru said as she looked around the room, "The council was at two decisions: observe some more, or destroy the world again. Basically…" She trailed off, and let the others finish her sentence.

"Another impact," the group said almost in unison.

"That's what we are trying to avoid though. That's why we have the Evas… right?" Akihiko said, somewhat desperately. "I mean… we've beaten back everything so far. Nothing can stop those things."

"Nothing yet." Reiji replied, his insipid behavior the same as ever. Akihiko started to argue… but he couldn't find anything to counter him with.

"We just have to be ready. Ready for anything it seems…" Sena looked at everyone slowly. She felt empty. These people had all come into her life and changed it for the better, but was she different? Her dreams showed her just how weak she was… or how weak she thought she was. Either way, she felt as if she relied too much on everyone around her. They were her friends, there was no doubt about that… but why did she feel as if all she did was bring them down? Why did she feel like she didn't have any strength anymore? She was scared. Scared of everything ahead. Scared of her mother really being dead, scared of what her father wants to know, scared of what kind of things they will face… scared of losing these people around her.

Shivering, and now crying, she spoke again… "Guys… I'm… I'm so scared…"

Kari slid down the wall of the elevator, letting her dress ride up a bit until her butt hit the floor. "Uhhhhh," She exhaled loudly as the elevator jettisoned downward to get to her needed area. She was the one doing the debriefing on the children. "Fucking bullshit. 'hat prick woke me up, said I needed to get here. I was having some fucked up dream but I was sleeping well. God I was the queen of the fucking world, then shithead had to ruin it." She scoffed a bit. "Figures." She let her head rest on the cold wall of the elevator as she let her mind wander. That wasn't a normal dream of course. What was that? Even when I woke up… I couldn't move or see anything. I always keep one light on… but… A shiver went through her body. "Damn. Let's just… forget it." She grabbed the packet that she was handed before getting in the elevator and opened it. "What you should ask, and what you should know…" _The hell?_

 _Huh?_

She read aloud as the elevator plummeted. The note was handwritten, and hastily scribbled down. He kept the end of our little agreement I see… but man… this is quite the haul. "This attack was a planned attack. Albeit much faster than anticipated. There is much that the staff doesn't know, and there is much that I don't know, but I have information on the general time of each attack, and what might be coming. This is all for something that will help change the world for the better. If we can defeat these angels, one by one, then this change can happen swiftly. No more attacks, no more restrictions; we will be free from the constraints that they put on us. Evolution will begin again. For the past thousands of years, mankind had not advanced in the slightest. We have in mind, but not in stature or physique. This is due to the Angel's control over us. With the fall of Adam and his encapsulation, and Lilith's still living body held below us, we are able to produce much in ways to counteract the Angels. They want Adam and Lilith back. If they can get them back, our world will be annihilated and started anew. They have sent Angels to attack us and there are still more on their way. Fourteen in total. That is the total for what I have been given anyway. This could well change…"

She stopped and shook her head. It was all… making sense she supposed… but from all the reports her superiors had given her, what was she supposed to do with this info? They wanted to know about what research they had, What they had used that shriveled… thing in the box for… they wanted to know a lot… but this… if they knew this… Would they stop? Or would they want to stop him? Would her objective change?

She continued. "With all this said, with the previous two angels coming rather swiftly in successions, we will be ready for anything in the coming days. Your debriefing of the pilots and their knowledge of the situation will be integral to their continued support and cooperation in the matter. With how the Evangelion Units work, we must have these children competent, cooperating, and understanding their position in all this. They are the only ones who can complete this. If you understand; here are a few questions you should ask them. Please report any strange happenings to me directly. No need to file a formal report or report to your department head."

She let out a sigh before standing back up and closing the file back again. The elevator was beginning to slow down now, and she was ready for it to be over. "Use the kids, don't let them know about this shit, here's all this info that could make NERV either the saviors of the world… Or as the rest of the world would see you; Goddamn terrorists. Jesus Christ, if you are up there and want us to keep this up, by all means send us some more of those angels. Or all of 'em at once! Just get it the fuck over with if you want us gone so damn bad!" The elevator door opened and she stepped out, clearing her throat. She made her way down the hall quietly and slowly, and found her way to the debriefing room close to the testing chamber where the children had been during the attack. The floor had blood around one of the pods, but was soon to be cleaned by the staff. It just didn't feel right. Nothing really did. She wanted to believe in all this. She wanted the children to have it easier, she wanted the adults here to take more responsibility, she wanted to talk to people and not be seen as just a tool to use. She mainly wanted someone to talk to. Really talk to. She knew how to manipulate people and knew how to get what she wanted, but when it came down to it, she wanted more than just the base human instincts of procreation and banal words of want to be directed at her. She wanted a companion to talk to and experience things with.

She shook her head. _What the hell was all that? I... I need some sleep. I need to stop thinking about all this stuff. Do your work, get info, send it back, get paid… Do your job…_ She thought to herself, but it stuck in the back of her mind still. She couldn't get it out. She walked through the door and greeted the children. They all were sitting attentively and ready for the debriefing. They all stood and bowed in unison. "Y-you can all sit back down," She said in her most flustered voice she could muster. Gotta keep up appearances. "As you know… an angel attacked you all while you were in your testing chamber, and put some kind of darkness around the town. We are investigating the phenomenon now, but would like to ask you a few questions about it all. If you could… could you sit tight for a second while I get this stuff up?" She lifted the packet up a bit and looked at them all. Without much hesitation, they all nodded or confirmed in some way. _Obedient. I like that. They just went through hell. How are they so composed?_

"Alright. Just give me a moment." She said before leafing through all the things in the packet. She put the note back in, and kept out the other materials. Five pamphlets were given to each of them, and a pen. Once done, she moved back to her spot. "You can take your time, and ask me anything you need. I'll help in any way I can. On the back, I'll ask you some questions and you can put what you know down on there. I'll also be taking some notes up here, so just tell me when you are done."

1\. How are you feeling?  
2\. What happened while you were in the testing chamber's pods?  
3\. Your Evangelion unit moved on its own. Could you possibly explain how this could happen with you not in it?  
4\. Did you have any strange dreams? If so, what were they about and have you told anyone about them?  
5\. Have you ever 'felt' anything from your Evangelion Unit?  
6\. What is something that always calms you down?  
7\. Would you call the other pilots your friends?  
8\. If the school were closed, how would you feel about living at headquarters?  
9\. Is there something (ex: Food, drink, hobby, etc.) that you miss that you cannot do or have anymore?  
10\. Do you trust your instructors and others who run headquarters?

Akihiko sighed about as loudly as everyone else did internally. With all the testing and such that went on, and the mass produced Evangelion Units that came out recently, every student had seen these questionnaires before in some form or another. These had slightly different wording, but they were the same, except for a few. It felt more like just something they needed data for, or something that they needed to show the government about how well their research, efforts, and money was being used. Whatever they needed it for, they answered them as best they could. Once done, they all looked to Kari for the next section as they turned to the back of their pamphlets.

Kari looked over the questions there that she should ask, and thought them fairly strange… She knew a lot about the angels, the EVA project, even somewhat as to how the giant things worked, but this just sounded like a strange trip through the psyche of these kids or interrogation questions.

If you could pick one person to 'embody' who your Evangelion Unit feels like, who would it be and why?

Have you ever felt the feeling that you and the Unit are one? Almost the same thing?

Have you felt or have you ever communicated with an entity of some kind? (Example: An angel, your Unit, another Unit, etc…)

Have you told anyone about NERV or its headquarters location?

Have you felt as if you were being watched even in your home?

Who do you talk to outside of NERV?

"Umm… So…" She cleared her throat and fumbled the papers a bit. "If… if you could pick one person to embody who your Evangelion Unit feels like, who would it be and why?" Once Kari finished, she received nothing but blank stares from the crew of kids before her. "Did… I say that wrong?" She flipped through to the question again.

"What the hell kinda question is that?" Akihiko said, pointing a finger at her, "You makin' fun of us? We just went through hell to save this city!"

Kari looked to Akihiko with a puzzled look. "It's just what they have here. Sorry if it sounds strange, but it's what they want to know." Akihiko stared at her a moment, and then let out a sharp sigh again, scribbling his answer down quickly. Kari continued with the next few questions, until they all turned them in. "Alright. Aside from that, I don't have anything else for you all… I'll get these to where they need to go… and I think you guys have to go to the dorm rooms here…"

Akihiko was the first to get up and protest to this. "What the hell for!? Why can't we go home!? We've been through a lot of shit and they expect us to just stay here? What are they going to do, watch us?"

Kari stayed silent for a moment, but reacted as she should. "They are just being cautious. Don't want you guys to get hurt or hurt yourselves somehow."

"Sure they want that. Fine. Guess we're bunking together Reiji." He said before dragging him off with him. "Come on guys. Let's go. I doubt you guys know the way around here. Your rooms should be close to ours."

Kari was left alone in the room as they all waved goodbye. Once the door shut, she moved slowly over to the loose chairs that were in the room and picked one up and flung it into the wall. "THAT FUCKIN' BRAT!" she said in a loud voice. She kicked over another chair and threw another with one arm. "Who the fuck does he think he is!? I'm doing my goddamn job!? Fuck you! You little prick!" She continued her rampage for a little while until she was satisfied. After that, she closed and locked the room before leaving to go drop off the reports. As she did, she thumbed through them slowly, looking at their answers. Some shocked her, and others made her feel like she was watching these kids discover their feelings for the first time. "These kids… They sure are going through a lot."

Reiji flopped onto his bed across the room from Akihiko. He looked around the room to its dark blue walls and simple fixtures and then focused on the ceiling, the red NERV logo painting faintly into it. It was comfy, but felt strange even to him.

The room was furnished as they saw fit from their time entering the school and into NERV as a whole. At any one time, they could be asked to stay, so they were given a small form to fill out. What colors calmed them down, preferred bed type and sheets, entertainment, clothes, and a number of other things. A simple desk and chair were given to each of them. Akihiko seemed to have asked for a television and small video game set, while Reiji had a a few stacks of books, each numbering about ten or so in height. The television and video game set was already plugged in and ready to go, and most of Reiji's books were in front of a hanging bookshelf over his desk. "Well… they got us what we wanted it seems… At least we won't be bored out of our minds in here. How you holding up Reiji?"

The question didn't feel like he meant it, and Reiji felt the same he always had. Alone, empty, and as if what he was doing… was already determined. He felt like an extension of something… not a person. He had tried his best to blend in, and become something like a person. He wanted to be like everyone else… but no matter what he read, what and who he studied, he just felt… empty. He couldn't express it however. He couldn't tell anyone how he really felt. How do you tell people that you just feel… like a doll? No real feelings, no emotions. When he ever tried to express himself, he felt awkward and strange. He had to act differently during their time in Sena's dream to avoid detection from the Angel… but even then, in a setting that was so different and unique.

Nothing.

"Fine. Just fine," Reiji said, after flopping on his head with a book that looked more akin to a psychological textbook than anything else. As he opened it and his eyes began to dart along the pages, Akihiko turned on the system and television. "Games here if you want to play. We got quite a few games…" He moved the second controller over to a seat next to him. "You don't have to, but here it is if you want."

As the noises of the game echoed in the room, Reiji drifted in his thoughts. The sun dimmed as their lighting in the room came on slowly. The dull glow of the television was overpowered by the lights in the room quickly. The room felt strange, to both of them. It felt a bit too normal, and more than a bit off. They had quickly grown accustomed to the environment and felt fine in their surroundings, but something just felt off…

"Reiji…"

"Yes?"

"You alright?"

The sound of the game was all that echoed through the room as Reiji stared at the ceiling, thinking to himself about what answer he could give that would satisfy his cohort. He thought and thought, but nothing better than the last answer came to mind. Was something going on? Was he feeling alright? His body felt fine… He didn't feel anxious, angry, sick… anything.

But what was it that didn't feel right? An emotion? Was he… Scared? Nervous? Was he really angry? He had only been angry once, with Akihiko… but since then… he felt a kind of kinship with him…

"I don't know…" He responded finally, as the game paused, and Akihiko looked to him. Turning the chair around, and leaning back a bit to get more comfortable, he cleared his throat and smiled slightly.

"Let's talk then."


	18. Chapter 17

"I'm not a shrink or anything… but I'll listen. I can't remember when me and you just… talked." Akihiko said smiling again. "So… whatever you want to talk about, let's talk."

 _It's easy for you to say_ … Reiji looked to the ground, and hung his head low. He wasn't avoiding Akihiko, but thinking still. _What do I say? That I feel empty? Like everything I'm doing is worthless and inconsequential?_

He looked up quickly, something welling up inside him. "Sure. I'll talk. I'll talk about all the… stuff… that I feel." He paused a moment, feeling something grab at him inside. He had to get whatever was out. It'd shut Akihiko up for one, and maybe make this feeling go away as well. "I feel hollow. Like how others describe… heartache, depression, jealousy, envy, all sorts of other emotions, but when I resolve it, or… fix it somehow… There is no resolution. Nothing feels better and nothing actually makes it go away. Jealous? Of what? You? The girls? No… None of you. Depressed? About this entire situation of the angels and us fighting them? No… no feeling in the slightest. Envy, heartache, everything else… nothing. I can't find a reason for anything. You all, all the other children, have… something. You've told us about your family. Your mother… I'm sorry… Kaoru hasn't spoken about her life, but something does trouble her… I can't pinpoint it, and Nami… She betrayed everyone for us. That takes dedication and something else I don't seem to have. Sena even. She has her father who she hates cause of how he treated her after her mother died. Her mom has been declared dead for most of her life… Yet she still believes that she's out there somewhere. She can feel it. Then there's me. I have no knowledge of where I came from, why I am here, who I really am… I feel like… a husk of someone else. I feel like everyone expects something from me, but no one tells me what that something is. I have to fight because I am told, I have to go in for the same medical exams you all do, the same screenings and psychological checks, and the same briefings, but it feels like I am somewhere, something, someone else. I feel like dead weight… He looked down to the ground by the door now, he had gotten up and had been walking around, moving his arms and hands, being more expressive than he had ever been before. "If you want to talk fine, but this is all I have. Feelings, or imitations of them, that I cannot truly explain, and this space in my chest that just feels empty." He sat back down on his bed quickly, and flopped over to face the wall. He felt exhausted now. Everything that was on his mind was gone now, and he didn't want to face what his friend was about to tell him.

"I'm sorry you've been going through so much Reiji," Akihiko said, turning back to him. "I… I just thought you wanted to be left alone…" he stammered a bit, but found his voice again. "Do you… feel any different after telling me all that?"

 _I do._ That hollow feeling was gone, but was replaced by a feeling of heat all along his body. The pit of empty weight in his stomach was replaced with heat and air welling up inside of him. He needed something to cool himself off. He went to the bathroom and splashed water on his face, breathing heavily as he felt the cold water hit him with more force than he expected. "Yes…" Reiji finally said as he wiped himself dry with a towel. "I feel… much better."

"Is there… anything else you want to talk about? I'm here for you man." Akihiko's voice resonated in the bathroom as he stood in the doorway. It was a strange scene. Not long ago, they had fought each other due to their emotions running off the rails, and now, they were sharing a room and talking about Reiji's feelings. He never wanted to talk about it, but now that he did; things felt different. He wanted to do something. More things like this. Different things as well. Was he… excited? He had never felt this before. He wanted to know more but… who could he talk to?

 _Sena._

"I want to go see what the girls are up to," He said, making Akihiko's brow raise.

"Oh yeah? I'm fine with that, but are you sure? You going to talk to them about this too? If so…" He gave a small pause. "I'm all for it. If talking to them will help you man, let's go talk to them."

* * *

Showered and changed into comfy clothes, the two girls—Kaoru and Nami—were sharing a large room with each other. Their beds were along each wall, with a television in one corner, a bookshelf in another and a table in the middle, with a desk at the foot or head of each bed. Each of their beds were adorned with their favorite colors and pillows to maximize the comfort. Sena stood in her towel while the other two girls were sitting at the table, opening the treats they found in the small fridge and cabinets in the kitchenette area. She stepped out and went right to her closet, finding the clothes and underwear she wanted, and slipped them on quickly. Kaoru and Nami were talking over the television when Sena entered in her blue pajama pants and tank top. "Well don't you look cute," Kaoru said, giving a gentle purr at the end to emphasis she meant it. "Oh stop. It's just what I usually sleep in… What are you guys doing?" Sena said as she walked up and sat with them.

"Just talkin'. Not much else to do here…" Nami grabbed a few chips from the table as she turned back to the television. "There's not much on here either. What are these?" Nami was flipping through channel after channel. Some were a running of ads that looked unending, and others were showing movies from a time that none of them were a part of. Cartoons played on others while dramas rolled through their events one after the other. "Is there nothing good on right now?" Nami turned it off quickly after coming around to the first channel they started on.

"Maybe there are some movies here. There's gotta be some right?" Kaoru moved over to her closet, searching for something that might hold what they are looking for.

Sena felt strange sitting at the table, watching the two look around in their closets for their treasure of entertainment. Was this normal? All the stuff they had gone through and all the things they had witnessed… This wasn't some dream that they could just wake up from. This was their life. Was it that simple to them? Or did they just not care what was going on? They had all just gone into a dreamscape of Sena's, found her mother, found a way to communicate with their EVA units through the dream, and destroy an angel without ever even being in their real units.

 _What was this?_

"HA! I knew it! Glad I asked them for movies. Here we go." She tossed down a few cases that displayed the titles in large letters on the front. As usual, the science fiction and horror movie aficionado that she was, Kaoru had a plethora of movies in the genres. _"Dark City, Eden Log, Starship Troopers, Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th,"_ Nami read the movies aloud as she picked them up. "I've heard of most of these… but… why do you like these so much?"

"The thrill of scary movies are like no other! And the amazing things that people come up with in Sci-fi movies are just incredible! I just can't get enough!" Kaoru said, with dramatic motions to accompany the words. "Let's watch… this one." She picked up a case, and moved over to the television, popping it into the DVD player as quickly as she could. "You'll both like it. Promise. It's funny."

The Fifth Element began as they sat there munching on snacks. The two girls were engrossed in the movie quickly, with Sena seeming out of sorts, and thinking about everything else that was on her mind at the moment.

How could they be handling this so well? They had gone through so much until now, and there was still so much that they were going to go through. They were the ones that had to protect the world. The angels wouldn't stop until they were all gone, or the earth was wiped out. How was she supposed to deal with all this? How was anyone? Did they expect all of them to just… get over all the stuff they had witnessed up until now and what they were going to experience? It's just… so…

"Sena are you alright?"

The voice was from Kaoru, and then from Nami. The voices were concerned, but Sena didn't know what they were concerned about. Eyes wide and their faces frantic, they were closing in on her. What was going on? Was something wrong with her? She lifted her hands up and felt her vision cloud. Tears hit her hands as she looked at them. "What? I'm… Crying?" She wiped her eyes quickly as Nami put her hand on her shoulder. Kaoru got the other side quickly and pushed her weight into them. "We've been through a lot girl. Talk all you want. Just let it all out. We're here for you." She said, trying to make her smile as best she could.

The room felt like it was still for a moment. Time seemed to stop. Sena was alone with her thoughts, as the girls crowded around her to make sure she was alright. She stood up and turned around, looking to her two friends, faces flushed with worry. Nami was gripping her left shoulder, while Kaoru gripped her right, along with her hand that was coming up to her eyes. "I rely on them so much. The guys too. I've relied on them since we all became friends. Do they… rely on me?"

In the back of her mind she knew they did. She knew the answer and knew that she didn't have to ask. What was all this then? What was she thinking about? What was all this? Some kind of… out of body experience? Was she dead… or dying? She didn't feel cold, and there wasn't any bright light she could walk to. What was this?

She came back, and looked at her two friends. "I'm… fine… Everything's fine…"

No one in the room believed what she said. Herself or her friends. With a soft sigh from them all, they talked for a moment, and then went back to the movie. Sena didn't want to bother them with more talk of what happened. They'd been through a lot. Maybe it was just a matter of unwinding... and she was still very wound up. Maybe this was what she needed. Maybe it's what everyone really needed. A time of calm. After a few minutes, a knock at the door disturbed them, and then the voice calmed them once again.

"Hey, It's Akihiko. Reiji said he'd like to hang out with you guys. You guys alright with us coming in?"

* * *

The camera zoomed in on the group of children watching their movie and sitting around talking about their day and the strangeness of it all. Akihiko was talking over most of the others, saying whatever came to his mind. Things about how the person who gave them their questionnaire was cute, but seemed really timid and scared, and how different Sena's dream was from what he figured she dreamed about. Kaoru and the other girls were retorting to what he said when they could, but talked among themselves while looking over to Reiji who was sitting in their circle, eating snacks, and smiling at their conversations, speaking sometimes about what he thought about situations.

"He's developing… He's showing more emotion… Good…"

Gendo sat in his office, looking at his computer screen, flipping through the cameras he had set up in their rooms, listening and watching everything that was going on. "They are far from where we need them to be, but… they are coming along nicely."

His screen flashed with a red light, denoting someone was coming to his office. "Must be Kari. Handing back those forms. I should ask her about her little outburst… but… I'll leave it alone."

With a swift knock, Kari opened the door, and waltzed in, laying the forms on his desk. "Well there you go sir. If that is all, I'll be heading back home now to get some sleep. Long day tomorrow right?" She smiled, licking her lips, and walked slowly to the door. "Thank you Kari. That'll be all. Have a good night."

A nearly inaudible click of the tongue came from Kari as she shut the door with some force, and made her way back down the hall. She didn't say a word, or at least didn't say anything that Gendo could hear. "That tramp. I know she's the information I give her to someone… but to who? The UN gets my reports and get the same data that I told her, and the military powers around the world hear our report every time an attack happens and finishes. Who the hell is she talking to, and who is giving her any other information?"

He gripped his head with his gloved hand, and took off his glasses, letting out a long sigh as he looked to the picture of his late wife on his desk. He picked it up and held it closer to his face, wiping the dust from the glass as best he could. "Soon darling. Very soon. I'll be with you once more and we can start again. Your daughter is growing up so quickly. I'm very proud of her, but she is the key to all of this. There is still quite a bit she has to go through…"

Instrumentality. That's what he was talking about. That and creating his wife again. He knew what had happened, and Reiji was his attempt at creating a form she could reside in again. An artificial soul was housed inside a body ripped from Lilith below NERV, and grown into this that he was watching develop. Gender did not matter. Once the soul was gone, and her's was put inside it, it could easily change. Instrumentality, as he knew it and had it explained to him, could change and shape everything anew. Why wouldn't this work? It made sense to him to continue and keep trying. This was the third Reiji he had cultivated, and it was showing far more promise than the last two. The first hardly lasted a day, it could barely breath on its own and effectively suffocated before it could speak. The second was smaller, but grew quickly. Then it fell. It broke its neck when it was with Gendo. Out of nowhere, it hopped the railing of one of the higher areas of NERV and went head first into the ground.

He slammed his fist on the desk as he thought about it. It was going so well. And then suddenly, all that work, gone. This one was progressing slowly, but soon, it would be perfect, and then once the angels begin Instrumentality, or one of the EVA Units do… "I'll be able to see you again my dear…" He kissed the portrait and set it back down, and leaned back in his chair, watching the children laugh and watch their movies, oblivious to the entity that observed them.

* * *

The drink was cold and refreshing as it slid down his throat. Beer was never his first choice of drink, but when it's so cheap and refreshing with fried foods, it just hits the spot sometimes. His cuts and bruises hurt like hell, but he was alive after all that, and after the debriefing and psychological evaluation, he was fit to go home. He hadn't been back in a while with this much time, so he had gone to the store before heading back and stocked up on what he found most delicious; Fried foods and meat.

Makito Katsuragi was frying squid and gyoza along with flipping burgers in another pan. Once finished, he set it all on a big plate and sat down in front of his television, turning it on to whatever channel he was watching last. It didn't matter; he wasn't going to pay attention to it anyway. He didn't have time to worry about the most recent season of anime, who's dating who in the latest drama, or whatever action series was going on right now. Usually, in these moments of calm, he was needed at NERV for first response to get ready for an Angel attack.

Today though was different. Maybe he could pay attention to what was going on as he bit into his first piece of fried squid. Washing it down with beer only made the taste that much better. As the show came to an end, and the credits rolled, Makito downed the rest of his beer and continued snacking. His mind hadn't felt like this in a while. Calm. The end of stress for a moment. His body felt weightless as he continued to eat a meal that, while fried and greasy, felt as if it was delivered from heaven. The night rolled on as he ate and drank until his body said he had enough. Sleep came quickly and took him over entirely.

The night offered no dreams, and once he awoke, Makito thought that he had the most restful sleep he'd had in years. No dreams, no nightmares, just sleep… The day was a new one, and whatever awaited him, he was ready to face it. That dream was behind him, and he was ready for whatever was ahead.

* * *

They talked and talked. All through the night, they talked and talked, and Reiji continued to spur it on. He opened up, more and more. He told them everything he could muster to talk about. Favorite foods, favorite activities, books he'd read, movies he'd watched and what he liked about them; he could and would not stop. His friends were more than happy to oblige him, and kept him talking as much as he wanted. This was like the first real time they were meeting their friend they had spent so long trying to get to know. The night grew longer and longer until, they passed out as another movie played. It played two or three times until someone woke up to turn it off only to fall back into the pile of friends and pass back out.

Morning came with an alarm of a different kind however. As it blared in their room, they shot up and scattered. Reiji and Akihiko went straight to their room to wash up and dress, and the girls were getting ready almost as quickly.

The alarm was to report to NERV; a possible angel was close, and getting closer.

* * *

They suspected to have an angel in the earth. For quite some time now. The angel made of lava and rock from before brought on the thought, and since then, NERV had been monitoring air pressure and sky activities, ocean temperature, pressure, even the flight paths of birds were studied to make sure they were ready for a potential attack.

These readings were more than strange enough to warrant the alarm.

Oceanic pressure of their readings were fluctuating. At a depth of one thousand feet below sea level, it fluctuates a bit here and there, but nothing as large as this. It was as if there was a black hole beneath the ocean, moving. Moving upwards to the surface of the water. As it passed, the readings stopped, and showed a perfect vacuum, and then the readings went back down to normal once more. It passed their sensors, and most likely… was on its way.

* * *

The body was huge. A black void moving slowly over the water. No light made it through, except right in its center. A large bubble of a body surrounded it, with a few tendrils sticking out to support the bubble from collapsing into the vacuum that was its body. In the center, a small object that looked like a ball with a central red dot, which moved across the ball with rapid movements. It looked as if it was searching for something. Looking for anything in its vicinity that it could collide with, or take into its form. As it moved closer and closer, it could feel what it was after, and soon, it came to a stop.

"I…. Must…. Wait…." It said to itself. "Lilith…. Is…. Below…. I will… Save…. you…."


	19. Chapter 18

They sprinted down the hall with Kaoru leading and Sena close behind as the others ran as quickly as they could. Each turn was taken as sharply as they could make it. Once reaching the hangar for the Units, they saw Katsuragi in his normal attire, this time with bruises, bandages, and a glass of water of all things held up to his mouth. He slammed it down quick and yelled, "Hurry up! Get in your suits and get ready! This one's a weird one!"

The friends looked at Nami, for confirmation on which it could be. She nodded, a sign that she would tell them as they prepared. They yelled back to Katsuragi, and ran to their prep rooms. Nami began telling them all she could as soon as they were out of eyesight and hearing distance.

"He just said it was a weird one. The ones that were still stuck on the earth that are still… alive were… Dumah and Ahriman. Dumah was sealed in the ocean, and Ahriman was sealed in a mountain. Dumah controlled air and the sea, while Ahriman was the… protector I spoke of before that went berserk." She stripped quickly and zipped herself into her plugsuit, hitting the button to tighten it up. "So… if it's a weird one… the only one I can think of is Dumah. His angelic form is… strange to say the least. A bubble with a vacuum inside it. A near perfect vacuum. He survives as he pulls air and nutrients into his body, but I don't suppose that is very helpful. Whatever passes through his barrier around his body begins to be sucked into the middle—where his core is. It's a small black hole of sorts, but it's his core. If we can land a hit on that, he should be done. But that's what I know of him when he was imprisoned…" Kaoru and Sena both nodded, rubbing away sleep that hung in their eyes away as they finished preparing. As they stepped out, Akihiko and Reiji did the same, Kaoru and Sena ran ahead as Nami briefed the guys on the situations. They met up soon after, by the entry plug room where Ritsuo waiting for them both, also just as bandaged and bruised as Katsuragi. They were shocked a bit, but waiting for him to finish his cigarette before giving them their briefing. "Alright," He said, rubbing the butt on the wall to put it out, "This creature came out from the Sea of Japan. All we know is that the pressure inside its body is immense. The EVA's should be able to take it, but to be sure, do not puncture its body. The central part of the body moves around inside it, and seems to be the source of the vacuum and pressure, so if it were to get out, the damages could be catastrophic. Be cautious and prepare for anything. The AT field of the creature is the bubble around itself. We are devising a way to get into it without damaging the field, or to send something inside to destroy it. It could be delivered by one of you. Just remember, we will do all we can to keep you safe. Do not endanger yourselves unless you and we know what is going on. Understood?"

With a salute and a yes sir, they were sent off to their entry plugs and began their assent to the surface.

* * *

 _Why are you all coming so quickly? This isn't supposed to happen…_

Kaoru was deep in thought as her unit shot to the surface. Nothing was making sense. Yes the angels were supposed to come quicker and quicker as time went on… but this one was showing up only a day after their most recent attack. And the one before that didn't take long either. The stress that everyone is going through, and all these attacks are piling up. Is this their assault? SEELE never said anything about a barrage of attacks from angels. Are they trying to… Speed things up?

She hit the side of her entry plug. The loud bang resonated in the chamber and died down soon after. "Just have to make it through this. We can do this. After this… We're all going back to that Onsen and relaxing a good long while. Then… We are going back to school and having fun being kids." She said, making the statement as a goal; something she could obtain and accomplish to make all these things easier for her and her friends to deal with. As she rocketed to the surface and came to see the landscape with the others, she clicked her communications device on to transmit to the others. "After this, we're eating a ton and having a party!

Understood!?"

Sena seemed to giggle a bit and Reiji laughed some as well. Akihiko yelled at her to take this more seriously, but agreed that it sounded like a great idea. The angel made its way closer and closer, and still, it seemed to hardly do a thing. The pressure as it got closer was slowly increasing as well. Katsuragi was giving them order after order to try and stop the thing as it crept along the ground. "Keep away from it but try to find a way to engage it. I know its stupid sounding, but apparently we've got reports of things being able to pass through it somehow. Your cords should keep you secured to the ground, but be prepared for some huge pressure if you go in it. It could pick you up with how it's using that pressure." Akihiko was first to try, and simply punched it, aiming for the red orb floating around inside it. The Unit's hand passed through it easily, but didn't puncture it in the least. The sphere just seemed to suck in the units hand, and as it did, Akihiko began to pull it back immediately with a scream of pain. He pulled and jerked his arm free, letting his unit stand there as he gripped his hand in his unit. "Akihiko what's going on!? Report!" Katsuragi yelled.

* * *

The pain was immeasurable. All that Akihiko could see was red. He gripped his hand that hurt so bad that he wished that it had actually came off as he screamed in pain. He could hear a thousand alarms going off in his unit as well as in his body. _Pain! Treat the injury. God damn this hurts. Move from the angel and retreat. Treat wound. Is my hand still even there?!_

"AKIHIKO!"

Makito Katsuragi's voice blared over the comms. Akihiko shook his head and moved his damaged hand. It burned, but it still worked. He could move it just as well as before. The synch rate for him and his Unit was so high that he could feel everything his unit could. This was needed for him to pilot it effectively, but it came with this… risk… All the pilots knew that. "Just hurts a lot Katsuragi. I'm fine." He grit his teeth and spoke to everyone. "That vacuum is too intense. Unless we have some kind of suit for the units, we can't get in there to destroy it. There's gotta be another way."

"Stay away from it then while we formulate a plan. Put stuff in front of it if you can. That might slow it down. This might take some time… Ritsuo! Go get th—," The communications cut off there as an operative took over for each of the units. "You guys can do this. Just be ready for new orders. Keep yourselves safe."

They were all hesitant, but they began moving what they could in front of the creature. It rolled over it, taking its time to get over larger objects and slowing itself down. It never seemed to move anything inside of its bulbous body, but whatever Akihiko had felt before with his punch made them all wary of trying to stop it themselves. What could they possibly do? Weapons would probably have no effect unless someone could hit the small red sphere inside the body, but it seemed hopeless. However this thing would get to NERV headquarters was anyone's guess, but it seemed like it could accomplish it unless they could stop it.

Throwing things into the bubble didn't seem to have any effect either. They picked up cars, debris, anything they could grab and throw into it. It simple let it pass through or had it bounce off it somehow. Out of options, they simply took turns piling things in front of the creature. The adrenaline was wearing off now, and they all turned to Nami for some kind of explanation on how this creature worked but…

"I don't know," Is what she said every time. "We never really… figured out how each other worked. We just knew some of us could do things the others couldn't. That was that. They were over this, you were over your stuff, and that was that… We've… never inquired about how things happened." She sounded just as scared as everyone else. They talked, and waited, and talked, and waited. The blob of angel was not even threatening anymore to them. It was just there, and slowly advancing. Updates on ideas for disposing and dealing with the angel came one after another, and after each attempt, failure was all that came. It felt like throwing darts at a wall, and waiting to see what stuck.

Kaoru's unit seemed to shake its head back and forth, mimicking the actions of its pilot. "God this is taking forever! There's gotta be something we can do to stop this thing! I want to go on our Onsen trip now!" With her yell over the Communications channel, a rumble came out from underneath them. There were no signs of anything coming through until the cracks began to form along the ground. The sounds were too loud to hear Katsuragi's screaming over the channel, and the pilots were too enraptured by what was happening to listen regardless. The ground shook and moved, as a myriad of small cracks made their way to the mountain close by, and centered atop it. A roar came from the mountain, and something began stirring in the earth.

* * *

The volcanic fire angel that came from the earth was the first to stir the keeper. He tried to lash out, but the ties that bound him there kept him secure, and the angel escaped his wrath. It had been so long since he had torn their flesh or caused them pain. That was all he lived for now. In the back of his mind he could remember long ago that they all got along and managed the earth together, but then they all fought, and he was the one who had to discipline them. Over and over again. Over the same things. Too much water, not enough water. This part of the world is covered in night while this one stays in the sunlight. The creatures don't need to be that big. The humans are doing fine, don't hurt them. Don't hurt them. DON'T HURT THEM.

Anger welled inside him as he imagined the humans being hurt. By the creatures of the air, the creatures of the earth, and the creatures of the sea; they ripped and broke the humans one after another.

Then he broke. He cut down and torn apart the angels around him, saying it was divine punishment to let his anger flow this way and to them as retribution for their actions. He was the protector of the earth and the humans. He could not let them be hurt. But in his rage, he did just what he was protecting against. Cities were destroyed, and thousands were killed. His mind broke further and further, until all he could think about was destruction. Sealing him and the others away was all the higher angels could do.

Now however, was his time to show them all what power he had. He could destroy the earth easily, without the others. He could wipe out everything on the earth, and help them rebuild it into a new one; a place perfect for the creatures to roam and inhabit. With a burst of power, what held him to the earth let itself loose, and he began to make his way to the surface. It was not far, and he was ready to get his revenge on those around him. He would make the world better. Once everything was gone, he could start over again, and make it better.

Through the mountainside, an arm burst forth, clawing to get itself out of the earth. As it did, everyone could see what kind of hell had birthed itself from the ground. It was bigger than the units, and moved across the ground on six, armored legs. Its body and legs were armored in a white cross shape, and a long tail like appendage grew from the base at the end of its body, and raised above it, much like a scorpion. Its head looked as if it was skeletal, with rows of teeth and extra eyes across a human-esque skull. It peered over to the units, and then to the angel floating closer and closer. Once it saw that, it pounced. Moving its tail backwards, it latched onto the bubble of the angel, and began stabbing at the bubble with its tail, and thrashing with its front two legs. The bubble withheld for a moment, but soon succumbed to the damage and burst. The creature immediately began tearing it apart, and found the round red object that was inside, and devoured it.

"EVERYONE GET THE HELL AWAY FROM THAT THING! IT'S ANOTHER ANGEL! BE PREPARED FOR ANYTHING!" Katsuragi screamed over the comms. unit.

The creature peered up from its quarry and looked to the units, letting off a scream of some kind that shook them all with fear. Reiji and Akihiko stood in front, hoping to be the front line to this attack they would eventually wage on the angel. The angel leapt and passed through them almost, going straight to the two behind them, attacking Kaoru first and then leaping on Sena. She thrust her hand upwards, and punched it as best she could, making it leap off of her. "Everyone be cautious! We have no info on this thing! Be ready to run and defend yourself with anything you can find!" Katsuragi said again, "We'll do all we can from here! Protect each other and yourselves! We will get through this!"


	20. Chapter 19

A beast was all that they could see when they all gathered around one another in front of the massive creature. It seemed to spasm and hunch over, ready to attack at any moment. "Nami… is this… that protector?" Akihiko asked, his voice trembling a little. Just being in the presence of this thing had caused his sync ratio to drop and his fear to slowly creep into his mind; terrified of what might happen if they lost this fight. If it could rupture the bubble that caused him so much pain. What else could those claws do? Or this creature in general? Does it have poison? _How did it survive doing anything to that bubble? What did it eat!? The core? That's not possible right? An angel like this wouldn't fight another of its kind would it? It… It's not on our side so… why did it do that? Is it just a beast? Some creature the angels are even afraid of?_

Nami spoke to them all over their communication units. "This is the one. He will stop at nothing to destroy us all. He is bent on destruction and killing anything in his path. The tail can grab you and has a blade at the end. Its hands have claws and it is very fast… That's about it. I don't know how to hurt him." Nami said as she retrieved her progressive knives from her storage units. "We'll try anything we can."

The others did the same while Kaoru retrieved another clip of ammo for her gun from a storage cache nearby. Sena did the same and retrieved one of her knives as well just in case. Akihiko now had gloved of some kind on his Unit, making his strikes hit that much harder. Reiji was preparing as well, with his knife and gun at the ready. The creature was staring them down, waiting for them to make the first move it seemed. A long three minutes had passed as it continued to eat the core of the last angel. It kept its eyes on them the entire time, making sure they did not come closer. "We've gotta do something. Come up with a plan maybe? Can we surround it?" Kaoru said, her assault rifle trained on the creature as it tore at the fleshy core and other bits of the angel. "Surrounding it would anger it and make it attack. I suggest we try to fire at it all at once. It can't escape that quickly can it?" Nami spoke as she lowered herself into position beside Kaoru. "Either way, we have to work fast. There isn't much left he can eat."

As if hearing the words she spoke, the creature moved around to face them better, and let out a low growl. It straightened itself and showed its rows of razor sharp teeth as its eyes seemed to glow a bright deep red. Then it pounced. As it moved, they all fired their weapons and Akihiko shielded himself for whatever might be coming. But its target was not any of them. It leapt to a building, toppling it. Dust and debris littered the area, and cast a low cloud of dirt around them.

That was when it attacked.

Nami let out a scream of pain as she went to her knees, and then was drug down in an instant. It had latched it's fangs onto her Unit's legs, and was clawing and tearing to get at what it could eat. It looked and acted like some ravenous animal, but what it showed now was the strong intelligence behind its beguiling facade. Akihiko grabbed to where Nami's unit might be, found her arm, and began to pull will the others shot into the dust cloud by where the creature would be. Hit after hit could be heard in the cloud while they dragged her Unit out of the cloud and into the clearing. Her screams had been drowned out by the gunfire, but Nami was still bellowing and crying in immense pain. The Unit's lower leg had been separated from its knee joint, and fluid was leaking everywhere. The smell of burned and dirty blood filled the area. As they tried to manage and get Nami under control; it struck again.

* * *

Akihiko had huddled over Nami to try and see what he could do in his unit, and the angel took him by surprise, sinking its teeth into the Unit's side. It tumbled over and over with him, until he was being dragged into the dust cloud, his arms clawing the ground to get back to his comrades. Through the screams of both of them, everyone could hear them. "Let go of me!" "LET ME GO!" "IT HURTS!" "HELP!"

Over and over through their communications, the words ripped through the audio channels. Reiji reacted immediately, and tried to pull Akihiko back to the center while he shot at the beast. It tugged at Akihiko's arm and side, but let go once Kaoru shot directed into its eye. "That's its weak point! Aim for his head and eyes!" She said, circling around looking around the cloud of dust that still had not settled. Katsuragi was yelling orders of calm and tactics, but they could barely hear her over the screams of pain from the others. Nami had readied her gun and was sitting now, aiming as best she could, while Akihiko had retrieved his knife using the arm that was still there on his Unit. One by one they had been taken down. It was hurting them slowly, one by one. Soon, there would be only one left at full strength. Once the angel took them down, it was only a matter of time before they all died. And then the feast would commence. They would all be eaten alive by that thing.

It came again, and seemed to thrust into Kaoru and took her to the ground, running her into another building and firmly planting her there while it tore at her body. She tried to defend herself, but the weapons she had were torn from her, or throw away from her. Again, they did what they could, getting her feet and getting her out of there, still shooting at the thing. "It's toying with you guys! Be prepared for the next one! Reiji, Sena, back to back and rotate! You'll see it coming! Everyone else, stay conscious! We are getting the weapons ready from the military! They'll support you all and get you out!" Katsuragi said, his voice cracking from all the yelling.

The two left standing did what they were told and moved around… looking everywhere for some sign of movement, but it never came, and it hit Sena all at once when it did.

The pain was indescribable. It shot through her spine first. It felt as if someone had a vice around her body, and had razors scraping up and down and back and forth across her back until it hit bone. Then, after that, it was wrapping around it, puncturing her body with millions and millions of needles. She couldn't move. She tried to lift her arm, but she couldn't get her hand off of the controls in her Unit. It was going through so much, and her body was feeling the full effects of it. It tore the plating off of the unit and began to dig its teeth into the back of it, revealing all the flesh and liquid that it was made of. But soon, gunfire sounded in Sena's head. Reiji, the sole survivor of them all, dragged her over after getting the thing off of her. The others lay with their weapons at the ready as best they could, with Sena still wincing and trying to do what she could about the pain.

"Everyone! Don't worry. We… We'll all get through this. I know we will." Reiji said, masking his fear and dread with false confidence he hoped would put the others at ease.

His words had hardly escaped his lips when the angel grabbed at his shoulder, and took him to the ground. Ripping and tearing and the screams he produced were all they could hear. Katsuragi fell quiet over their audio channels as well. Just as he was about to tell them the army needed three more minutes to get into position. They had been defeated. And as the ripping and tearing noises from the battlefield, and the gunshots ricocheted off of the creatures back from the others, and the screams came in waves from Reiji, Sena curled up in her seat, and took her head to her knees. She wanted the screams to stop. All the fighting, the gunfire. She just wanted it all to stop.

"Mom… Please…"

The words came without her knowing even. She felt the tears come on and felt something inside her become hotter and hotter. Her chest burned and her eyes felt like they would burst at any moment. This pressure, all this pain and sadness, it had welled up inside her and through all the fighting, and all the pain, she had taken it with stride because of her friends.

But if her friends were gone, and she was all alone again, what would happen? She didn't want to think about it. She wanted her life back with her friends. The fun and laughs, the happy times. She wanted her friends to be safe again with her.

 _Please… help us… I… I don't want to die and I don't want them to die either… Please…_

* * *

The creature was ripping and tearing at Reiji's Unit as the other crippled Units did their best to fire into the dust cloud that they knew held their friend and the angel. Their voice channels were a blur of sounds of tearing skin, flesh, screams of pain, and the sound of metal scraping against metal and ripping apart. Soon, the other units began to lose power, shut down, one after another. Until finally, Sena's was the last, looking on at the body of Reiji's unit, being torn limb from limb. She closed her eyes tightly, and cried. Everything aside from her visuals through the eyes of her unit had been turned off. The hollow sound of the creature's actions against the lifeless body of Reiji's Unit echoed in the space of Sena's Unit. She cried and cried. It was all she could do as she curled up in her little ball. She couldn't move; her body or her Units. She wanted to save them, but this angel had taken them completely by surprise with what it could do. She wanted to say them… but she couldn't.

She grit her teeth, and grabbed onto the controls, her legs still up to her chest.

 _Come on… Move. I… I'm the only one who can help them… Please… Please I don't want… I don't want them to die too._

With each thrust of movement, she didn't feel the Unit do anything. Each button, nothing, She hit all the buttons and moved the controls all she could, but no response came.

 _So that's it? Everyone's going to be… eaten alive here? No… NO…_ "I… That's not right."

She felt something. The Unit didn't move, and she had only let her legs touch onto the platform she was in. Her hands felt warm against the controls, and her body began to heat up. "He's… everyone's going…" She grit her teeth again, feeling the heat well up inside of her. She felt sick, but she didn't care. She wanted to save them, and that was all that was on her mind.

"EVERYONE'S GOING TO BE ALRIGHT!"

* * *

The entirety of NERV was abuzz with activity. From the outside looking it, it most likely looked like ants trying to repair their damaged home. Papers were flying every which way, coordinates were being read to military operatives, and through it all, the ones upon the bridge merely stood there waiting, mouths agape at what all had transpired; all except Gendo of course. Calm and collected as always, he had a plan for this, but was unsure of when he needed to enact it. "Sir!" Katsuragi yelled to him. "What do you want us to do? The military said they still need a few minutes. Those kids are out there and… one might be dead. We will have a lot to answer to if we don't get in there and get them out!" He said after getting closer and closer, growing more assertive and angry with every word.

"We will wait and observe for now. The military will be able to handle this once they arrive. As of now, we will simply see what this angel does." He replied, peering down at her from his perch.

"Are you fucking serious? Your own daughter is out there fighting, and might be dead soon if we don't—,"

"Sir! Report! One of the Units… It seems to still be active." A tech yelled over his shoulder as he ran his data. "It shows reports of activity inside the Unit. It… It seems to be gaining power somehow. Its cord was cut and it has no external battery. We don't have an explanation for this…"

On all the screens on the bridge, this strange phenomenon took precedence. The flutter of paper and the yells of data and information back and forth grew quiet as they all saw Unit-01 rise to its feet, and look over to where Unit-00 and the angel were. "Everyone! Something… something is going on with Unit-01!"


	21. Chapter 20

_These thoughts and feelings. So strong, and filled with… such deep sadness and pain. What has this person gone through? I can feel it all. Inside me, outside me; in this… body that is not my own. Before that, who am I? I was someone else before this… Long before this. I have had this body for some time. Whoever I am, this creature ahead of me, is destroying something precious to the person inside of me._

 _They cannot continue what they are doing._

 _I have to stop it. This person demands it. This person is important to me, so I must stop them._

The Evangelion Unit undulated with life as its body rolled upwards back to a standing position; its eyes now shown a bright red light from them that indicated something different than usual. The normal power systems were going haywire inside the plug and at NERV. Readings were fluctuating, or rising to terrifying levels. Sena had activated something somehow, and there was nothing they could do to stop it. Whatever was going to happen, the people at NERV simply waited and watched, amazed at the sight. All except one. Gendo looked on with awe in his eyes. He knew something had changed. Something had finally happened he had waited on for so long. _This… this is it… You… You're coming back… slowly but surely… You are coming back…_

The Angel still tore and ripped at the unit of Reiji, now eating near its chest and stomach. Unit-01, now slowly walking over to it in a motion that seemed as if it were controlled by something else, reached down and grabbed at the tail of the creature, and with an incredible feat of strength, pulled it away and threw it so that it was between Unit-00 and the Angel.

 _You. You are the reason all this happened. You… you hurt this person inside of me. I cannot forgive you. I…_

The Unit began to move and shake in a strange way. It's body twitched as if electrical signals were being sent to joints and muscles in a sporadic fashion all over its body. It lifted its hands and gripped its head.

 _I WILL DESTROY YOU._

The Unit's jaw unhinged, ripping apart the metal plating that held it together, and let out a ferocious roar that sounded like an creature that was on the hunt for prey, and would stop at nothing until they had it. A tongue and a fleshy mouth with strange looking red teeth could be seen inside. It let out all of its roar, and then it took a breath, looking to the creature.

 _YOU WILL NOT SURVIVE!_

It dashed forward towards the Angel, hitting the A.T. Field of it and simply tearing it away with its hands and mouth. The Angel seemed to jitter, and look around for a way out, and shifted over to make an escape. Just as it turned to run, Unit-01 caught up to it, and grabbed its tail once more. This time however, the stinger pulled itself down, injecting itself into the shoulder of Unit-01. Unit-01 let out a scream, and grabbed the stinger out of itself, and pulled, tearing the stinger from the Angel's body. The angel let out its own cry of pain as Unit-01 continued its advance. Using the stinger, it leapt and came down on the Angel's main body, jabbing the stinger through its body into the ground with one powerful downward strike. It pulsed and moved with the fear and pain that it was enduring, but it still lived. Unit-01 went to the legs, and began pulling them off one by one, throwing them in every direction, and then began ripping and tearing at where its core was. Tearing away flesh, bones, and organs, or moving them around, the core was found, and Unit-01 began biting it. Ripping, tearing, anything in its way that regenerated or moved to protect the core was torn and eaten or tossed aside.

 _Feed. You are my prey. You will not harm Sena, or her friends._

The core began to show fissures of decay and breakage; until it burst. Red liquid gushed from its form as Unit-01 continued to eat away at everything, until a carcass was all that was left of the Angel that had destroyed them. Unit-01 looked around at its comrades, beaten and broken on the ground, and let out a mournful roar, before the red light flicked from its eyes and the Unit stood motionless, its arms facing the clear blue sky and its jaw open from its cry.

* * *

The manual shut-off switch had somehow worked, but no one had thought it would after what they saw. Synchronization ratios between Sena at the Unit had reached a percentage that had never been considered or ever recorded. No one knew the effects, psychological, biological, or otherwise that it could have on her once she was out, and no one wanted to consider it at the time being. For now, it was time for extraction, debriefing, and hopefully, the successful recovery of the pilots. Katsuragi looked down at all the papers that were in his hand. Research from Akagi, talking about what extreme stress can do to children and how to cope with it.

"They need a guardian Makito. It's not much, but NERV can help pay for a bigger apartment for you." Ritsuo said as he lit up another cigarette on the balcony. "I mean, I could take them in if you want, but I don't think any of them want that. Too much smoke and stuff you know?"

Katsuragi was looking over the papers, mostly just fumbling them around in his hands before he dropped most of them at his feet. "Dammit Ritsuo. I just… Don't understand what happened… I… I didn't help them at all… I told them we could do it…" Tears began to well up in his eyes as he squeezed his hand into a tight fist. "What the fuck was I good for? Why the hell am I even here!?" He went over and grabbed Ritsuo by his coat. "Ritsuo, did I do alright? Did I do the right thing just trying to… calm them down?"

Ritsuo shook off the grab and grabbed his friend by the shoulders. "You have got to calm down right now. I know what's going through your head, and I know what you are thinking. 'This is all my fault.' Right?" Katsuragi nodded, trying to regain his composure. "Look. No one knew what all we were up against. All we had to go on were reports and shit. You aren't to blame for this. The world is. Why'd it send these… things to kill us? What's going on with it? You don't have those answers, but it isn't your fault. Understood? You have to stay strong for them and you have to stay strong for yourself. We can get through this. We stay strong together and we help each other. We can do this Makito. Straighten up, and lets go see those kids." Ritsuo slapped his back hard enough to make him choke and cough, and walked to the door after flicking his cigarette to the ground. Makito retrieved the papers from the ground and caught up to his friend. He still felt empty and hollow inside, feeling as if there was something more he could have done, but his friend had instilled in him a resolve he hadn't felt in quite a while. He picked up his step, walking quickly with Ritsuo in tow to get to where the children were; the Hospital Wing.

What they came upon was all of them side by side in a large room, laying atop their own hospital beds. Their charts at the foot of the bed read their injuries. Some were numerous and small, but significant damage had happened to parts of them. Akihiko had cuts and lacerations all over his body, with his left arm from his shoulder down looked as if a wild animal had mauled him. Some of his chest had bruising internally as well. An oxygen mask was placed atop him as he lay there sleeping. Kaoru sat up with her head resting on a pillow. Her abdomen was wrapped and cushioned in bandages along with her arms and legs. She was semi-conscious, looking around when she could. She would wince whenever she would move. Her spine had been hit fairly hard by the attack, and her organs had been bruised some. Nami had both of her legs badly damaged, and one seemingly twisted around and broken at the knee, much the same as her unit's body. It had been placed and put into a cast. Her arms were covered in cuts and bruises, but she was awake, staring down at her lap, motionless and unblinking. And Sena sat at the bed next to them, looking over her own chart. Minimal bruising on arms and body. A few cuts to the arms. That was what she escaped with. Reiji was nowhere to be seen. As Ritsuo and Katsuragi entered, Sena was the only one to look up to them. She shot up and ran over to Katsuragi and latched onto him, wrapping her arms around his chest and burying his head into the soft shirt and jacket he wore. "Is… is everyone going to be alright?! Why… Why am I the only one that's okay?!"

* * *

The grip on her powers was still as strong as ever. She was reconstructing and fixing her body quicker than any medicine or rest could; but the pain was much greater than when she was an angel. Nami felt the bones move and attach themselves back to their proper places. Ice filled her veins, sealing off any ruptures as her core temperature dropped to help the ice move around and find its places. She could feel her body slowing down quite a bit, but it was repairing quickly. Her mind was wandering as it did as Ritsuo and Makito came through the door. _How the hell did we perform so badly? Those tactics it had… it was like we were facing an animal. And my ice… I didn't even think to use it… What did Sena do to make her Eva… do that?_ As Sena fell into Katsuragi, Nami looked up to her and let out a smile. _What a kind girl. So worried about everyone. Hard to believe that she hardly had any friends not long ago._ She slowly let herself lay down, and rested her eyes. The cold was taking her body quicker than what she thought. _It's always like this though. Once the ice starts working, it starts getting hard to move and think. After today though, I'll be fine… I'll be awake soon Sena. I promise. You will not be alone._

Kaoru felt herself passing in and out, looking around the room. Her back felt like it was on fire and her legs felt numb and punctured with hundreds of needles. The pain was intense, but so was whatever medicine she was on. She knew her body was crying out in pain, but she was not feeling any of it. She rolled her head and eyes over to Sena, and looked at her friend grabbing onto Katsuragi. "Sena…" She managed to mutter. Her throat hurt. It felt horse, and tight. She could taste metal in her mouth. _Blood?_ It didn't matter. She didn't feel like asking. She was just glad Sena was alright. She rolled her head to the side, and her neck went numb. _That feels better. I can sleep like this…_ She felt herself drift off into a deep sleep, letting the medicines and treatments do their work and heal her body as best they could.

Akihiko ran and ran through his mind. The fight was a long one and one that he never wanted to experience again. It kept running to him and clawing at him. _Why? Why is it always like this? Why can't I protect them and fight!?_ Around a corner, there was another. On its hands and feet, running towards him. An angel, or one of his parents, or his friends he couldn't protect. Everything at once; they were all coming for him, wanting revenge. They thought he would protect them. They wanted what he still had. They wanted life. He ran and ran down the dreary halls of his mind, searching for something, anything. He knew what was going on, but couldn't escape. This dream… _This dream… it happens all the time. I've let… so many people down. Why?! WHY!?_

He coughed and cracked his eyes, hearing someone crying somewhere. Through the haze of sleep, pain, and tears, he could make out what looked to be more hospital beds, and two people standing over another one on the floor. _That's probably Sena. Worrying about all of us. What a baby. Always worrying about everyone. But…_ He could feel his heart rise in his chest. _Its why we all love her so much._ He let a smile creep onto his face. And closed his eyes again. _I have to rest. I have to get better. For everyone's sake. I hope… they are all alright._

* * *

The reports came back once extraction of the Evangelion Units was complete. The damage to each of the Units was fairly severe, but easily recoverable with a week of treatment. The only one that looks relatively unscathed was Unit-01. Unit-00 on the other hand, was a writhing mess of huge organs and dented armor pieces and such. Retrieving the entry plug that might still contain Reiji was… impossible to say the least. The amount of damage to the head of the Unit had impacted, and crumpled the entry plug to a strange crunched design. If he were still alive in there, he would be badly hurt and broken. And what they found was just that. He had no life inside of him once they opened the plug, the body fell to the ground, a compacted and broken mess of skin, blood, and body parts. Whatever happened inside of that plug, it had been gruesome, terrifying, and painful. Most of the extraction techs had to move away from the wreckage of the body to relieve themselves of whatever was in their stomachs as Gendo moved over to it. He looked it over and stood up, giving a small bow to it. "Clean it up. Go put it with the others. We'll need to get a new one."

 _This is getting ridiculous._ He thought to himself, angry over the initiative Reiji had manifested. The emotions were one thing. That was good. Making sure the body could exhibit a wide range of emotions was good, but showing so much initiative to throw yourself in harm's way to save all of these… children. "Yui. You shouldn't do such a thing." He moved his glasses away and wiped at his eyes. Sleep was getting to him and so was all this stress. It was time to begin the process of making a new Reiji. This one, could have more promise, with all the data they had collected, he could start out much better than the last one. Knowing so much and already knowing what his mission, objectives, and his final goal was. The only problem was SEELE's approval. They may not like it, but another was needed to make sure the children did not see a comrade die. And his caretaker and watcher already knew the process and everything that needed to happen from the last time this happened. He made his way to the elevator, and checked his watch. It was still only four in the afternoon, and all of this had happened so quickly, and there was still so much to do. As the elevator moved to its next destination, it slowed, and moved to its next stop, far from where Gendo directed it to. As the doors opened, in walked the woman he had not wanted to see. Kari held a clipboard of materials and a pen in the other hand, scribbling away as she walked in. Raising her head she gasped a bit. "Gendo you scared me. I didn't think you'd be here. You headed to your office? If so, I'll wait on the next elevator. I gotta go elsewhere. Lots of stuff to do."

 _What the hell do you do here? Spread lies? Grab secrets? Send them to… whoever you work for?_ "It's alright. Come with me. Those can wait for now." He said, holding the door as it began to close. "I have something I need to discuss with you." _It's an open invitation for information on your part. I have nothing to give you though. I am just pent up. I need this…_

Kari had already started walking away before he had said anything, seemingly to sway and move with a sensual motion as she made her way down the hall. "I'm good. Got lots to do. I forgot something so once I'm done; I'll head over there if I have time. Sorry about this!" She said before winking and moving around the corner. Gendo withdrew his hand on the door as it shut, and rocketed up to the floor he needed. His rage filled him as he hit the side of the elevator with a hard whack. _Goddammit. Just this once… I would have told her anything…_

* * *

A week past. No school due to the attack, along with all of the children needing recuperation. Sena was a mess through the whole week. She sat in the hospital wing, watching over her friends, bringing books and whatnot to those that were awake and conscious. Nami was the first to be able to move around freely, albeit with supervision. All of the children had gone into the wing's recovery chambers; pods of water where their bodies could recuperate quicker and more effectively. Nami withstood it for a day, and was out the next. The doctors were puzzled, but had seen stranger since everything with the angel attacks had happened. Maybe these children were different. Her bones had healed back in the correct places so quickly, and all of her cuts and injuries were gone. To them it seemed a miracle. Sena looked to Nami and gave her a weak smile. "I'm glad you are feeling better," She said as a tear strolled down her face.

"Me too Sena. Now the others just have to get better. Is there… anything you want to do here to keep me company?" Nami said, pulling the blanket on her bed up a bit higher.

Sena pulled out a few things from her back. A few of the movies that Kaoru had given her a few months back, a few books, and a deck of cards. "I brought quite a bit, if you'll watch these and play some games with me. If that's alright…" Sena shied away and looked away for a bit. Nami grabbed her hand and squeezed it a bit. "Of course Sena. We will do whatever. Time with you is always fun. Now… which movie should we watch first? This one? _Evil… Dead?_ Or… This other _Alien_ movie?"

As the movie played, the girls screamed and giggled as much as they could at their entertainment, enjoying their downtime away from all the stress of the angel attacks. In the back of both of their minds, they both wanted to know what really happened, and whether or not Reiji was alright in his surgery and constant monitoring. Only two knew the truth of his situation however. Deep within the heart of NERV, Kaoru sat next to Gendo, going over readings and inputting data as the newly formed Reiji hung in the vat of the same fluid as before, his mind being reconstructed from the data from the last one.

"He had feelings for Sena." Kaoru said suddenly, looking over the information on the screen.

"We can get rid of that." Gendo replied, looking over another screen.

"What? Why? Isn't that healthy? Letting him love someone? I get it that he is just a shell, but still… shouldn't he get some different emotions besides—."

"No. He needs to finish his objectives, and you need to stop facilitating all of these thoughts he's having. You have a job, and that is to look after him, is it not? It's to make sure he becomes a perfect vessel for whatever is to happen once all this is over. Or are you deciding that your life doesn't matter much anymore and you can do what you want?"

Kaoru bit her lip and looked away. "Do whatever you want. We'll see what this new one does this time around."

"Alright. Cooperation. Good. That's what I like to hear." He replied, a grin pulling across his face.

 _You go right ahead old man. There's much more awaiting you and all the rest of these worms in the near future. We're all going to go through a lot, but I know Sena is going to get through this all just fine. Whatever those angels have planned, we will be ready once they come again. Final Impact will happen, and I will make sure that the world that comes of it is perfect for Sena._ Kaoru thought to herself and stayed quiet the rest of the time as the reconstruction of Reiji's brain continued.

* * *

The angels on the council sat in quiet contemplation. All their preparations and whatnot were for nothing, and their last bastion to obliterate and reconstruct the earth in their image was gone. All of their resources except themselves, gone. Now they sat and waited for what was bound to happen; the eventual and complete destruction of the earth and their paradise they could do whatever they wanted to with. A few angels theorized a few ways to avoid this, or simply destroy the earth and start from scratch. Destroying the earth themselves was easy, but the reconstruction was what would take millennia. A sole angel sought answers elsewhere though, and without warning, and without notice, began his decent down to earth, to observe, and wander.


	22. Chapter 21

Time passed slowly, which was a blessing to everyone. In a week, Nami was released from the hospital wing. Sena had been coming every day for the week, chatting with her and watching movies among other things, but now that she was out, they could both focus on the other two. Kaoru was feeling better, sitting up and moving around well, but she still needed some time to fully recover. Akihiko was the worst off out of all the ones that were there, but he was conscious and coherent now after the week of rest. With a little help from Nami and Kaoru, altering him without his knowing, he would be better in a week just like Kaoru. The one they didn't know about was Reiji. They hadn't seen or heard anything about his condition. Kaoru was the only one that knew the truth, and she wasn't going to break it to Sena while they were all here hurt. The last thing she wanted was to worry her. Reiji should be reconstructed by then. Maybe it was just a long recovery process?

 _I hope she will buy that._

Kaoru shook the thought from her mind and got back to what they were doing; more movies and board games in the hospital wing. Each of their houses had been destroyed in the last attack in some form or another, so now they all slept in the barracks at NERV. Every night was exciting, but once sleep took them, it never felt restful. This morning, they were watching a movie Sena had found lying around the locker room in their area. " _This_ movie is awesome! It's about spies and stuff!" Kaoru said as she flipped the DVD case over of the movie _Goldeneye_ to read the back. She read out loud and exclaimed her thoughts as they came, trying to get everyone's mind off what was going through them. Everyone was worried, even Kaoru. All they could do is wait though.

As they began their movie and other activities, Katsuragi burst through the door, a handful of papers in hand, and looked at all of them with a big grin on his face. "Pack up kids, your all moving in with me!"

He was beaming, seemingly proud of himself, while the others were dumbfounded as to what was going on. They all looked puzzled, and taken aback. "What's wrong? Did you not hear me? Get your shit, we are leaving and heading home!"

"But why? Can we not… stay here?" Nami eventually asked, with nods from the others.

"Not anymore. NERV wants you guys to all be supervised by an adult and looked after, and you all still need to be taught your lessons. I can do all that at home and get you all up when things happen." He smiled, "It'll be fun. I already got a team to get your stuff from your places, or what was left of them, and take them over. Each of you has your own room too!"

Katsuragi eventually gave them the full details, and gave them the papers with what was going on. Due to energy costs, staffing, psychological health, and many other things, they would all be looked after by Katsuragi to be monitored. All Katsuragi's bills would be paid for, a new and bigger apartment would be theirs, and it would be a place that had direct access to a NERV emergency elevator for them to get into their EVA Unit's as soon as possible. While the cities reconstruction of some buildings not on the reconstructed grid of Tokyo-3 continued, they would be taught any lessons needed by Katsuragi as well. The program had already been implemented with great success in the other countries with potential pilots and their instructors, so their NERV branch was going to try it. And with this test, they could reduce costs of keeping them there and the facilities fully operational.

"Not so bad sounding right? So come on and let's go!" He pulled on Sena and Nami who were the easiest to reach and stood them up. "Time to head out!"

"But… we were waiting on Reiji to get better…" Sena said shyly, everyone seeing a glimpse of what she used to be.

"He's going to be fine! He'll be joining you all later in a few weeks I think!" Katsuragi said, a big grin on his face still.

It seemed to put them at some sort of ease, as they all followed, now eager to see what was in store for them at this new place.

* * *

"It's a lie. We all know that." Ritsuo said as he took a quick drink of his beer. Katsuragi had invited him and Kari out to discuss the situation about the kids and the proposition put forward by NERV. "They probably got that whole place monitored. You wouldn't even be needed to watch them really. It's just a front."

He had a point. They had checked their apartments as well, and Ritsuo found recording devices and cameras of sorts scattered in strange places. Kari had the most in fact. "Of course I do. Look at me. They probably got off to watching me sleep or something. Anyway… What are you going to do? I mean… It is a free apartment. Your bills and rent are outrageous as is."

She was right, but Ritsuo was right as well. The more he thought about it, the more he didn't want to do it. It was almost an order he was given as he was handed the papers by Gendo, telling him that this was where he would be living now and to take the children away from the base. "It's to protect them and you," he said to Katsuragi as he began to move back into his office. _Bullshit. Something doesn't feel right._ Katsuragi thought to himself. There's so many things that he didn't know about the organization of NERV and the stuff he did know made his stomach turn. Ritsuo had seen how EVAs were made, and how Reiji was… made. He'd seen the plating be grafted onto the EVAs and their roars when their sentience wasn't controlled. And now with Reiji being reconstructed, he had to get the kids to take their mind off him. This was an easy way for that to happen. But there had to be something else he could do. It had been a whole month since then… and no attacks were happening. Was it over already? If that was all, then maybe this didn't need to happen…

"I say just do it. You're going broke with where you are now, and you kinda don't have to watch them. While the whole place may be monitored, it has been for a while at our places, nothing bad's happened. We should be good." Ritsuo said, lifting up his glass of beer and smiling.

It was decided. With a simple signature, and turning in the paperwork, all of their things were delivered within the day, and boxes were put in their respective places. The apartment building was quite large, and Katsuragi's new place looked far too large for him and the children to live in. It was like they owned and lived in half of the building. Inside, a large kitchen, living, and dining spice stretched before them, with a hall of bedrooms, linked bathrooms, and on the other side a storage room and master bedroom with his own bathroom. He couldn't believe it. All this was paid for and all he had to do was live with him. It sounded like bliss.

They all arrived after a small drive from their exit point. Upon entering, the children couldn't believe their eyes and the thought of it all was sinking in. They would all be roommates, and they could all be together. Excited, they all ran to their rooms and began unpacking.

 _Let's see how this goes. Hopefully, things will start to die down and we can get Reiji back soon._ He thought to himself, as he began unpacking his things as well.

* * *

Floating among the clouds, hidden and alone, a figure moved over the ocean, staring deep into the world. The creature was wandering; here and there, in the spaces unoccupied by others. Watching and waiting, wanting to know more. The heavens were abuzz with anger, rage, sadness and uncertainty. He himself wanted answers, and he moved from there to find them on the earth. He had no mission, he had no want to fight. He wanted information, he wanted to learn, and he wanted answers.

Why were these humans such bad things that they would attack us? Why would use our own against us? _Why did they destroy our brothers and sisters? Where did Nami go? Why do we need to destroy this earth and remake it for us? Do we need Adam and Lilith? Do we need to remake the world? Why must we?_

He had too many questions; many of which he knew he could not know the answer. The Council knew most of those, and even they were uncertain on their answers. So he watched, waited, and looked around, for an answer to any of those, but the most important one was _why are the lilin even there and what do they do?_

He watched games being played between children on fields and in parks, and grown men playing the same games for enjoyment of others and money. He watched hundreds or thousands of emotions flourish, fade, be destroyed, or blossom in seconds across the nation he floated over as another school day began and ended. He watched thousands of humans eating a variety of different foods, and experiencing all sorts of different things in the span of a single day. Some were boring, meaningless lives for most of it, but then, something would happen to change them. An act from another, a bowl of soup or a hot meal for some, a kiss from another that the first found… appealing, and finally, nothing at all. Each of them, instilled with something that made them do more that day, the next day, that week, the month, he could see it all. Such brightness and majesty, all from their own bodies and the earth. He saw the hard times for many as well. Death, dying, disease, decay, the slow burning of life for them was a leaf in a fire to him. Quick and seemingly meaningless, until you look closer or see the effects. The same essence became apparent in many of those suffering, left after the death of someone, or those who are simply reading about it in some form.

 _It's amazing and strange. I still do not understand… but I am grasping._ He thought to himself, before floating closer and closer to an island, where the last Angel of the earth was defeated. As he moved, he could feel eyes watching him, until he floated higher and higher. Fear? No… simply unease. Now was not the time, but soon it would be. He retreated for the time, and kept to himself again. None would bother him on the Council, and no other angel would ask where he had been all that time. But he was coming closer to his answers, and soon, he could perhaps know what was truly going on here in the heavens, and atop the Earth.

* * *

It hurt. It all hurt. But he never flinched. He was being made again. A new mind, a new body, and perhaps a new personality. He could feel things pricking him, injecting him, and moving him in the fluid surrounding him. It hurt… but the pain was negligible. In his developing mind, he had felt this millions of times before. He could not cry out or scream; simply endure. His body felt sick and exhausted and his mind moved sluggishly through his memories. A balcony? Then the floor. Concussive force. Screams of inner pain and screams from another. A call for help that no one answered. Toys and items for learning. Greeting another. Running away. Hiding. Thoughts being read to him, thoughts speaking to him. Here. There. Inside. Outside. Space. Inside the Earth. The heavens and hell.

 _You are our plan Reiji. You will begin all things anew. A friend will protect you. One who is much like you._ The thoughts said as he could see them. Great men and women, their figures distorted and leaning down to him from their perches above. _You must succeed. The world needs to be made anew._

His eyes opened for what seemed like an eternity, as he saw before him a rounded glass screen, and out of it, stood a group of people, with a central figure giving orders, and then he stared. And stared. He would not look away. He spoke. Or maybe he did not. He mouthed words that seemed familiar, but distant. Reiji couldn't hear anything, but he knew the words somehow. They resonated in his mind and as he heard it, everything came flooding back. His memories, his friends, his time with them and fighting the angels. They all came back once he saw that man and heard those words in his mind. The shock sent him reeling, and the group of others surrounded a terminal, yelling and pointing to one another. The man in the center smiled, and as Reiji's eyes faded closed, he could hear the words again, but this time it was more inviting and understanding somehow. His mission was his goal, and that goal was the same as that man. Given by that man. His heart and his mind wanted other things, but his mission was his true final goal.

 _"Come Reiji. God's work cannot be done alone."_

Far back in his mind however, he wanted something else. A woman. A Girl in all occurrences. A girl he knew, and didn't know. A name was forming, but disappeared continually. He had to hold onto it. This consciousness was what he wanted. Not his mission, not his fear of failure or his goal to change the world. He wanted that name, and that person attached to it. In his final moments of consciousness, it came to him, and as he faded for a time, he held onto it, and smiled as he slept in his cylindrical chamber of fluid.

 _Sena._


	23. Chapter 22

_Just don't think about it._

That's been the motto for so long about so much of this stuff and yet…

 _Just don't think about it._

But these kids, all this stuff, everything that's going on. I can't let it slide. I just can't… Day in day out, they train, they grow together, they… they…

 _"_ _Kari, don't think about it. Your mission isn't the care about those kids, it's to get information. With everything you've given us so far, we've come leaps and bounds ahead of where we were before. Soon, our own Evangelion unit will be complete."_

"Yes sir… I'm sorry sir… just tired is all." _It's what I should say_. She thought to herself, drinking slowly from her beer bottle. At her apartment, she had made off with yet another confidential document from a research and development workers desk. A collected paper that was copied and put back into the file that was sent off, and her copy was kept with her. A detailed picture, scanned and sent to her boss. Mission complete. Money made. Day done right?

 _"_ _Honestly you should be proud of your work. With this, we can begin a new era of making these weapons. After the first one succeeds, we can begin mass producing them and start creating something so we don't have to endanger those kids! Look at it that way. You are helping them!"_

 _It sure doesn't fuckin' feel like it. It feels like I'm two-timing them. Which I am. I'm hurting them still if anything. Trying to justify this is hurting more than helping me. This whole phone call is. My body, brain, and just being hurts._

 _"…_ _we've come so far and thanks to you we are able to nearly complete our own Mass Produced Unit's here at NERV US…"_ Her boss droned on about her accomplishments. This wasn't what she needed right now. So, she stopped him. "Hey. Thank you boss, but I think I hear someone at the door. Call me tomorrow alright? Thank you very much. See ya." She ended the call and tossed the phone on the bed before falling after it, planting her face into her pillow. She let out a long and forceful moan into the pillow, letting the sound soak into it before she turned over. She stared at the ceiling for a few minutes before her mind began to fill with thoughts again. She shot up quickly and moved into her living room to her balcony instead, letting the cool air lap at her as she leaned over the railing. Out across the dark ocean she could see where the stars meet the curve of the water. It looked nearly the same color and infinite before her, as if one flowed right into the other. She felt like if she kept staring at it, something would happen; like something would come out of it, or she would be able to see something looking back. For her, it was very therapeutic. The ocean and sky; just staring at them seemed to put her mind at ease and help her breath easier. _This calls for some wine. Some wine and deep thought._ She went to the fridge and pulled a bottle from it, uncorked it, and began to pour a large glass of a deep red liquid for herself. She moved back to the balcony and swirled the wine around in her glass before drinking it, and as it moved its way through her she could feel it bite slightly. It was a pleasant feeling. She was alone, but the stars were with her; the sea breeze the drifting waves she could hear from her apartment within the quiet city. Peace was something no one had heard in a while, and many took it for granted. There were people coming back to the city instead of fleeing to other places, schools, businesses, jobs were coming back. And no one knew really who was to thank or blame. Some didn't care. Others did, but not enough to pursue answers. Indifference was so wide spread that it felt like they were saving the world for… no one. Or that's how Kari thought anyway. Everyone took the attacks like it was an inconvenience most of the time. Sure, they might be happy when the kids won the day and the city got back into shape, but once that time of peace set in, everyone forgot it like it was nothing at all. Thousands of feet tall creatures destroying buildings and looking for something, while other thousands of feet tall creatures fight them to protect the city and its people. It's a huge event, and even Kari was a part of the problem she thought so much about. Day in and day out, everything felt so… so…

"UHHHHH…."

She let out a loud groan before drinking some of her wine. It tasted different than the last time she drank it. It was with someone… Maybe that was it.

"God. What's the point?" She downed it quickly, feeling it hit her all at once. She made her way to the couch, flopped onto it, and turned on her television, and began scanning the channels.

 _I know what I am going to do. It'll help more than whatever the boss says is helping. They aren't going to stop me either._

* * *

With outstretched arms and heavy sighs, the children and their caretaker all flopped onto the floor and stared at the ceiling. Sena yawned loudly and looked over at the others. "So… what are we doing now?"

Katsuragi sat up and looked around the room. Some of the furnishings had already been set up for them, but there was one thing that they hadn't gotten since arriving. He stood up and motioned for the door, "It's time for food. Let's go get some groceries and fill these cabinets and fridge up with stuff. We'll need it soon if we are going to be living here." He said with a smile. The others reluctantly got up and made their way to the door, slipping on their shoes and heading out. They all crammed into Katsuragi's car, and off they went. The city was busy and the streets were bustling for the weekend and the eventual coming of colder weather. Still warm enough to ride with the top down on his car however, they sped down the city streets to the stores they needed. Groceries were bought, booze were obtained for their surrogate parent, and as they finished out most of the day, the realization came all to quickly that something in the apartment was amiss.

"How the hell did they… just…" Katsuragi looked at the stove, and balled his hands into fists. "God…. Dammit!" He yelled.

The stove was not operational, and still needed a bit of work to get it done. The soonest they could fix it would be in the morning.

"Alright! Change of plans! We're going out for food! Anyone got a preference?" With a stare, she scanned over all of them. They looked at each other, and then just blurted out what they wanted.

"Ramen!"

"Yakitori!"

"Curry!"

They all looked to each other and said it again, like infants learning their first word.

"Are you serious? You want that?" Akihiko said with a scoff. "Curry's the way to go. It's so filling and it's the best at the end of the day."

"Says you!" Sena retorted, "Kaoru at least wanted barbeque. Yours just sounds bad right now. I don't want to have an upset stomach on our first day here!"

"Yakitori didn't get any complaints. Why don't we agree on that?" Kaoru said with a big smile. His words were met with two glares from Sena and Akihiko.

"NO."

The arguments began to fly back and forth, expletives and questions of authority and worth were the ammunition they used against each other. Back and forth they went, over and over again until Katsuragi stepped in.

"Kids…" He said with a look of rage and anger. "Now… if you two keep this up, Kaoru and I will be the only ones enjoying any food. Now. If you both cannot come to a decision, I have a compromise. Just this once… We'll go out for sushi. Does that sound good?"

Minutes later, they were in the car and on their way to the nearest sushi place. They all talked about things that were going on, how they were excited for school to resume eventually, and things they didn't know about one another. It felt peaceful, and everyone in the car felt uneasy at the same time. Something was off to them. This peace couldn't last forever. Something was bound to happen soon. But what? And what is going on with Reiji? Is he alright? What are they doing to him?

As they drove, they eventually got quiet and the low noise of the radio took hold of them. The melody was sweet and easy to listen to. The vocals took a hold of them, and they swayed to it easily as they pulled into the little shop. Before turning off the car, Katsuragi turned to them all, and made sure that he had their attention. "I know it is rough guys, but we are going to get through this. I promise. Reiji's going to be fine, and the Angels are going to stop coming down sooner or later. You all stay strong and so will I okay?" With a nod, they all listened and understood the reassurance from him, and met it with a smile. "Alright. Now that that's settled, let's get some sushi!"

* * *

 _It is time. Time to descend. Everyone is still bickering. These heavens feel as if a war will break out amongst the angels soon. And I want no part of it. I will go down, and change myself like the others have done before me. I will learn… and I will see just what is going on with these… people below us. Something must be happening for them to fight us so willingly… What are they protecting? Is it out of fear? Hate?_

The angel broke through the clouds and touched down not far from the shore of Japan. With whatever machinations it had in mind, and with its divine gifts from whatever thing created it, none noticed it touch down slowly on the crashing waves of the ocean. None could feel or sense its presence. Nothing in NERV reacted, and no one paid any attention as a young boy made his way out of the sea, walking across the water to the shore. None were around, and a car or two passed by on the nearby highway. No one paid any attention.

 _Wonderful… Now… to find the Lilin that have been combating my brothers… and watch them. I must find out what is going on between all of us, so this can end. No more bloodshed, and no more hate. I have had enough._

He walked slowly, getting used to his body. As he moved, he made his way to a small shack, and outside of it, saw a poster for a clothing store. The people on it were about the age of those he wished to observe, and they all looked very happy. _Perhaps these clothes will be appropriate to greet them in?_ A female wore a sundress of white, with a large brimmed straw hat, and smiled to the onlooker with a bag at her side, while the male winked to the reader in a set of longer shorts, a t-shirt and light jacket combo, and a set of stylish sneakers. After looking at it a bit, and after concentrating for a moment, out of his body grew a set of clothes that fit him perfectly, mimicking the style depicted on the poster. _This… should do well enough…_ He thought to himself, before ascending the stairs and began his journey to find those he sought.


End file.
